View of Hobson's Bay from Signal Station, Melbourne, Victoria

View of the signal mast in a paling fence compound on Flagstaff Hill, with ships, buildings and grazing cattle in the distance. Most of the ships are sailing ships, but funnels emitting smoke indicate that some had steam engines. In the foreground, a number of men study a notice board which probably displays the shipping news, while two others read a paper together. A man with a barrow containing some produce is addressed by a girl with a doll. In 1841a fifty foot mast to carry signalling flags was erected on Flagstaff Hill alongside a small octagonal building that housed telescopes and flags. In the 1840s, the Hill was a popular picnic place for people who came to read the shipping notices and watch ships come up the Bay