Thomas Watling (born 1762) was an early Australian painter and illustrator. Originally from Scotland, he was transported as a convict to Sydney, in the newly established Colony of New South Wales, in 1792 for forging banknotes. In Sydney he worked with John White, the colony's Surgeon General, copying natural history illustrations. In 1796 he was given a conditional pardon by the colony's second governor, John Hunter.[1] Thomas Watling has painted many of the early colonial pictures of Australia. One of his paintings is slightly confusing however, as it is painted in oil paints, which is unique to him, and predates the records of any colonial artist using oil paints.