This 1871 watercolour by S. T. Gill depicts two bushrangers trying to protect themselves from the cold in greatcoats. Most bushrangers were not expert bushmen, in fact to a degree many were completely out of their depth in the bush, forcing them to rely on imposing themselves on homesteads for food and shelter. For every Ned Kelly who could blend in seamlessly with the terrain and get close enough to read the brands on police horses, there was a Captain Moonlite who travelled everywhere on foot and had to try and get a job on a station to survive.

The painting is owned by the State Library of Victoria and was featured in their The Changing Face of Melbourne exhibition until 2013.

Image Credit: State Library of Victoria

Bushrangers’ Camp (1871); Artist: Gill, S. T., 1818-1880.; SLV Source ID: 1668384; Purchased by the Joint Trustees 1872.