1799 Food concerns in the colony
In 1799, John Hunter, the second Governor of New South Wales wrote to the Duke of Portland, the English MP… Read More
1790s
1798 James Squire’s tavern licensed
James Squire is generally acknowledged to be Australia's first commercial brewer of hopped beer. His tavern, The Malting Shovel, at… Read More
1798 Australia’s first restaurant
Australia's first restaurant had a French cook and served diners on fine plates, accompanied by the best wines poured into… Read More
1797 Shipwreck leads to world’s oldest beer
When the ship Sydney Cove was wrecked north of the Tasmanian mainland in 1797, more than 31,500 litres of alcohol… Read More
1797 Australia’s first coin
The first coin to become official currency in New South Wales was the cartwheel penny, minted in London in 1797… Read More
1797 First windmill in Sydney town
Before the erection of windmills in the new colony, grain was ground by hand mills. The first windmill in Sydney… Read More
1796 Australia’s first pubs
The first ten liquor licences in New South Wales were issued in 1796 by Governor Captain John Hunter. The measure… Read More
1795 Windsor wharf on the Hawkesbury
The settlement of Windsor (then known as the Green Hills) began in 1791. In 1794, the first farms were developed… Read More
1795 Escaped cattle discovered at Cowpastures
In the earliest days of the settlement at Sydney Cove, the colonists were reliant on food supplies and animals they… Read More
1794 Hawkesbury area settled
Settlement of the Hawkesbury area was initiated by Lieutenant Governor Major Francis Grose to help make the colony self-supporting. The… Read More
1793 Rock lobsters caught by French explorers
For millennia, rock lobsters (often erroneously known as crayfish) were among the marine foods collected and eaten by indigenous Australians… Read More
1793-1810 The Rum Corps
Successive governors of New South Wales failed to control the excesses of the officers of the New South Wales Corps,… Read More
1793 Poor harvest causes hardship
While Governor Phillip had insisted on equal rations for all in the new colony, his successor, Major Francis Grose, was less equitable.… Read More
1793 John Macarthur’s Elizabeth Farm
John Macarthur was a lieutenant in the New South Wales Corps who arrived with the Second Fleet in 1890. In… Read More
1792 Kissing Point settled
At first named Eastern Farms, this area of what is now Ryde became known as Kissing Point by 1794. It… Read More
1792 First Tasmanian garden
The French navigator, Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, visited and named Recherche Bay on the extreme south-east corner of Tasmania in 1792… Read More
1792 Water mill at Parramatta
Construction of the first government water mill began in 1792 at Parramatta. Thomas Allen, previously employed at King’s Mill, Rotherhithe… Read More
1790 Food crisis in Port Jackson
In 1790, the colonists at Port Jackson faced their harshest conditions. Early attempts at agriculture had produced little. While hunting… Read More