Mount Araphilas, Victoria. sic (Mount Arapiles)

Finely engraved c.19th hand coloured view of Mount Arapiles, Victoria.

The first recorded ascent of Arapiles was on 23 July 1836, by the European explorer, Major Thomas Mitchell. He named the landmark after the Arapiles hills near Salamanca, Spain, where the Battle of Salamanca took place, in which Mitchell had seen action.  An extract from Mitchell’s diary on 22 July reads:  “This certainly was a remarkable portion of the earth’s surface, and rather resembled that of the moon as seen through a telescope.”  There is a plaque commemorating his contributions to Arapiles on the aptly named “Plaque Rock”.

References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 7280.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 7337226 Library of Congress Washington D.C.: 43021238
State Library Victoria: RARELTF 919.4 B643AU
State Library New South Wales: Call Numbers:Q980.1/46D1
State Library South Australia: 919.4 B755b
State Library of Western Australia: Call Number Q 994