Ashton's 'Sentry-box Reach' was painted when he was a staff artist for The picturesque atlas of Australasia; a position which allowed him to travel widely. The Hawkesbury soon became a favourite haunt for painting. He returned to it frequently with artist friends. 'Sentry-box Reach' is a classic example of nineteenth-century British watercolour technique – transparent washes of watercolour over barely perceptible pencil outlines, occasionally with some minor scraping out for highlights. It is a particularly convincing study of the expanse and conditions of the Hawkesbury landscape.
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