East Melbourne in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia — Oceania

River God Fountain, 1862

Charles Summers (1825-1878)

Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, May 11, 2026

1. River God Fountain, 1862 Marker

Inscription. The Renaissance style figure of a river god was created by Victoria's most important sculptor of the period. The fountain concept was by Clement Hodgkinson, Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey and designer of the Fitzroy Gardens.

This was the first fountain in the Fitzroy Gardens, made possible by the supply of water to Melbourne from a dam on the Plenty River at Yan Yean. It was erected in 1862 at a site to the south-east near Clarendon Street and Gipps Street, where it stood for nearly 100 years.

In 1995 the original figure was restored and re-erected here in the new rockery and pond similar to original setting.
One of the water mains from the Yan Yean crosses the Gardens a few metres to the east of the site.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Man-Made Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 37° 48.62′ S, 144° 58.852′ E. Marker is in East Melbourne, Victoria, in Melbourne. It is at the intersection of Albert Street and Eades Street on Albert Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

this postal address: Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Oceania,

in Australasia,

in the Pacific Ocean,

in South Pacific,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Saint Patrick's College (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Scotch College (Lansdowne Street) (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Model Tudor Village (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Fairies Tree (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Taken not Given (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); New Temple Church (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Fitzroy Gardens (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Aubrey Bowen Wing, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (approx. 0.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in East Melbourne.

Also see . . . Charles Summers - River God Fountain - Fitzroy Gardens. Victorian Heritage Database

The River God Fountain is of State Significance. It is a rare example of Charles Summer's use of cast stone in sculpture,
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, May 11, 2026

2. River God Fountain and the Marker
and one of the few surviving public works by the most important sculptor working in the mid nineteenth century in Victoria. It is also significant as being the first and principal fountain erected in the newly developed Fitzroy Gardens. It also has historic significance as celebrating the establishment of the first reticulated water supply to Melbourne from the Yan Yean Reservoir in 1858.

Because of the unpopularity of many Victorian sculptures in the mid twentieth century, when twenty-one pieces of Summers' sculpture were removed from the National Gallery of Victoria "on the grounds that they were of little artistic merit", the River God Fountain is an important and rare example of the artist's Victorian work. The significance is not compromised by the fact that the basalt base has been rebuilt, since it has been reconstructed as closely as possible to the original. Eucalypts have been planted to coincide with early illustrations of the work.

(Submitted on May 20, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 18 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 20, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.