Still glides the stream, and shall for ever glide

This peaceful scene by Australian painter Arthur Streeton shows the Yarra River winding lazily through the countryside near Heidelberg, just outside Melbourne. Painted in 1890, it captures a quiet moment in the late afternoon, with golden light spreading across the rolling hills and a soft haze blurring the distant mountains. The gum trees, dry grass, and muddy riverbanks feel unmistakably Australian, a real shift from the European landscapes that had dominated art in the country before this time.

Streeton was part of the Heidelberg School, a group of artists often called Australia's first true Impressionists. Like their French counterparts, they painted outdoors to catch the changing light and the honest feel of a place. The poetic title comes from a line by the English poet William Wordsworth, and it suits the mood perfectly, suggesting the slow and timeless flow of the water through the land. There is nothing dramatic happening here, and that is rather the point. It invites you to slow down and simply take in the calm beauty of a familiar Australian afternoon.