One of the most recognisable landmarks in the region, Tower Hill is a dormant volcano located just outside of Warrnambool is a site of rich history. For the Gunditjmara, their knowledge encompasses the last eruptions of Tower Hill, but for European settlers, their turbulent history with this site begins in the 1830s when a good water supply and fertile soils drew them here.
In 1855 pastoralist James Daweson commissioned Eugene von Guérard to capture 'one of the most beautiful and interesting specimens of an extinct volcano in Victoria'. However, its natural resources meant that Tower Hill was quickly degraded by grazing herds, tree clearing, damming the water and quarrying.
Though there were sporadic attempts to address some of the environmental issues at Tower Hill, there were numerous problems including planting non-native trees, exponential growth of invasive species, quarrying and continued grazing. It wasn't until 1961 that a restoration program began that would eventually be based on von Guérard's remarkably detailed painting.
While this restoration project has been celebrated as successful, it has not fully erased the previous destruction. As Christina Davidson wrote in 1985, Tower Hill is '...not the reality of an eternal nature but a dream of a painter and the visions of the people who chose to take him literally'.
Tower Hill is currently on display.