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History Talks on Ludwig Leichhardt – Put it in your diaries
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Looking for Leichhardt: Ludwig Leichhardt’s 1844-45 Trail Re -examined.
Image by Bill Gannon – Looking NW to NE across the Mitchell River, Queensland
Celebrating the Bicentenary of the birth of Ludwig Leichhardt at the Leichhardt Town Hall between the 16th – 27th October, 2013
The Leichhardt Town Hall will play host to a series of author talks, discussions, workshops and artworks by four artists who followed in the steps of Leichhardt’s 1844-45 expedition.
In 2012-13 artist Bill Gannon followed Ludwig Leichhardt’s 1844-45 trail from South East Queensland, north to the Mitchell River at the base of Cape York, and then across to the Northern Territory to the top of the Top End at the Coburg Peninsula.
Mr Gannon’s artistic accounts of his journey will be on display in the Leichhardt Town Hall in October, to commemorate the Bicentenary of the birth of the man known as the most important German in Australian history.
Artists Jason Benjamin, Sarah Larsen and Maljah Cathy Snow will also be exhibiting works as part of the exhibition. Sydney based artist and Archibald finalist Jason Benjamin accompanied Mr Gannon on the Kakadu to Coburg Peninsula leg of the journey, while Sarah Larsen is a Central Queensland artist who joined Bill on two sections of the trail, and Maljah Cathy Snow is a Gkuthaan woman from the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Exhibition opening hours: 10am – 4pm daily
Dates: 16 – 27 October, 2013 (CLOSED Monday 21 – Tuesday 22)
Location: Leichhardt Town Hall – Corner of Marion and Norton Streets, Leichhardt
Tours available
To organise a tour please contact bronwynt@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Program of Events
- Looking For Leichhardt Exhibition Opening – Wednesday the 16 October, 6-8pm
The first preview of the exceptional artworks by Jason Benjamin, Bill Gannon, Sarah Larsen, and Maljah Cathy Snow from the Looking for Leichhardt art exhibition. Refreshments will be served and accompanied by music by the Leichhardt Brass Band. Please Register here for the Looking for Leichhardt Exhibition Opening for catering purposes by Wednesday 9 October. - Meet The Artists – Friday 18 October, 6-8pm
An artist led tour of the Looking For Leichhardt art exhibition with the four contributing artists: Jason Benjamin, Bill Gannon, Sarah Larsen and Cathy Maljah Cathy Snow. Hear directly how following in Ludwig’s trail inspired and indeed, affected the development of the works in the exhibition. Please Register here for Meet the Artists for catering purposes by Wednesday 16 October. - In the Steps of Leichhardt – Saturday 19 October, 11am – 12
Join Leichhardt enthusiast, Jenny Pattison, for a talk on Ludwig Leichhardt’s extensive botanic knowledge, his plant collecting in Sydney and NSW, and his connections to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Please Register here for In the Steps of Leichhardt for catering purposes by Wednesday 16 October. - Ludwig Leichhardt’s Birthday – Wednesday 23 October – 6-8pm
In celebration of Ludwig Leichhardt’s 200th Birthday, please join us in the Leichhardt Town Hall for an Author Talk by Dr Darrell Lewis, and some classical German music by the Cacilien Choir. Dr Darrell Lewis’ book, Where is Dr Leichhardt? was released earlier this year. The book posits all of the various theories developed around the disappearance of Ludwig Leichhardt in 1848, and addresses what he calls “the greatest mystery in Australian history – the disappearance of the Leichhardt expedition somewhere in the vastness of the inland”. Light refreshments will also be served including some delicious German Sacher-Torte in honour of Leichhardt.
Please Register here for Ludwig Leichhardt’s Birthday for catering purposes by Friday 18 October.
Artist Talk by Bill Gannon – Saturday 26 October, 10.30 – 11am
Artist Bill Gannon is the lead artist behind the exhibition and expedition in the trail of Ludwig Leichhardt, and he is very passionate and knowledgeable about his subject. Join him to hear about his inspiration and insights on the Leichhardt expedition, and all about the interesting mix of characters that travelled together on the 1844-45 expedition. A light morning tea will be followed by Bill’s Explorer’s Guide to drawing at 11.30am. Please Register here for the Artist Talk by Bill Gannon for catering purposes by Tuesday 22 October.
Ludwig Leichhardt – Royal Botanic Garden Talk and Walk Series
Looking for Ludwig in Leichhardt
BY Adra Anthoney
In 1848 German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt set out from the Darling Downs in southern Queensland bound for the Swan River settlement in Western Australia, and was never seen again. It remains one of Australia’s most enduring unsolved mysterious, and now there is a competition to commemorate Ludwig’s life. Ludwig is the subject of a Leichhardt and Annandale photo competition. Spanning 25 weeks, a cut-out figure of the famous 19th century explorer has been ‘hidden’ in a different local business each week. To enter, the public is encouraged to seek out the image and post or “selfie” with him on the Leichhardt and Annandale Business Chamber’s Facebook page. Anitra Morgana, Executive Officer of the Leichhardt and Annandale Business Chamber, said the event was formed to raise community awareness about Ludwig Leichhardt.
“To celebrate the bicentenary year of Ludwig Leichhardt’s birth, and toraise awareness of how Leichhardtgot its name, the competition was created as a way of involving the community and local businesses in a fun activity in the lead-up to the 27th annual Norton Street Italian Festa in October,” she said. Last week’s winner, Jacqueline Van Goeverdun, “found” Ludwig at Grind Expresso Bar on Norton St, and won a $40 gift voucher sponsored by the café. “I think it was a great idea to help promote the area and the places of business in it,” said Salvatore Crino, manager of event sponsor, Grind Café. “We had some people coming in [the café] and saying, ‘What’s this Ludwig competition?’ They obviously had their iPhones and took photos. “We initially put [the cut-out] where the posters were so you couldn’t really see it – it was sort of camouflaged in there but the people found it. We moved it generallyaround the place.” The Ludwig cut-out has since moved to a new ‘hiding’ place and two $100 shopping vouchers are up for grabs this week. The clue provided is “Ludwig is getting into the community spirit in #Leichhardt’s piazza del mercato”.
Ludwig Leichhardt – nearly 200 years!
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt was born in Trebatsch, Germany, 70km south of Berlin, on October 23, 1813. Leichhardt studied Greek, Latin, English, French, German, Mathematics, Physics and natural history at grammar school in Cottbus until he was 18, when he commenced studies at the Universities of Gottingen and Berlin. At Berlin he met Englishman William Nicholson, whom he accompanied to England in 1837. In London, and also Paris, he studied medicine and natural history. Leichhardt had been taught to sketch and draw by his brother-in-law Freidrich Schmalfuss, and arrived in Australia on the Sir Edward Paget in February, 1841 with plans for exploring and studying the botany, zoology and geology of the continent. He spent time exploring the land between Newcastle and Brisbane in 1843 and his first major expedition began in October 1844 where he spent over 12 months crossing from Brisbane to Port Essington (today known as Darwin). Returning to Sydney, Leichhardt was warmly received by colonial society and awarded gold medals by the Royal Geographical Society of London and the Geographical Society of Paris. It was at this time that he wrote his Journal of an Overland Expedition form Moreton Bay to Port Essington.
In 1846, Leichhardt set out once again from the Darling Downs with the intention of traveling northwards, then westwards and ending up moving down towards Perth. Unfortunately the expedition was only able to travel about 800km, but due to bad weather and ill health, Leichhardt had to turn back.
The third and final expedition left in February 1848. April was the last communication with the trekking party and the 5th of April was the last time the party was seen. No further news was received from Leichhardt and, despite many searches, no trace of the expedition has ever been found. During his explorations, Leichhardt named several species of plants and some of his original specimens are kept at the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
A local businessman, Walter Beames, supported Ludwig Leichhardt on his first expedition by supplying the explorer with supplies and equipment for his journey.
Beames had bought what was then known as the Piperston Estate. As an acknowledgement of the support that Beames had shown, Leichhardt named a tributary of the Albert River in Queensland ; Beames Brook. Beames, in turn, renamed Piperston to Leichhardt, and when the estate was subdivided in 1849, the area became known as Leichhardt Town.
When the municipality was incorporated in 1871, Walter Beames was the first returning officer and his nephew, Frank Beames, was the first Mayor. The municipality was called Leichhardt and it still is to this day.
More items available for in house research from our collection:
Journal of an overland expedition in Australia, from Moreton Bay to Port Essington : a distance of upwards of 3000 miles during the years 1844-1845 / [by] Ludwig Leichhardt.
Author: Leichhardt, Ludwig, 1813-1848. Published: 1980
Whirlwinds in the plain : Ludwig Leichhardt - friends, foes and history / by E.M. Webster.
Author: Webster, Elsie May, 1929- Published: 1980
Library Catalogue