1889 Hoadley’s Preserving Works established
At the age of 21, Abel Hoadley migrated from England to Australia, arriving in 1865. By the early 1880s he… Read More
1880s
1889 Bundaberg rum first produced
The Bundaberg Distilling Company was formed in 1888 to supplement returns from the local sugar industry and to make use… Read More
1888 Rice mill in North Queensland
Chinese prospectors attracted to north Queensland's goldfields were responsible for the first successful cultivation of rice in Australia, seeking to… Read More
1887 Tasmanian apples shipped to England
The introduction of refrigerated shipping allowed more primary produce to be transported around the world. The first cargo of cool-storage… Read More
1887 Foster’s Lager first brewed
Although Foster's Lager was not the first lager to be brewed in Australia (lager beer was first produced commercially by… Read More
1887 Chop suey described in Australia
In 1887, a column widely syndicated in Australian newspapers introduced readers to the joys of a Chinese restaurant in New… Read More
1887 Yates seeds in Australia
Arthur Yates established his Australian seed business in 1887 as a branch office of the Yates business in Auckland, New… Read More
1886 Junket goes commercial
What is junket? Essentially, it's a dessert made from milk set with rennet, an enzyme naturally produced in the stomachs… Read More
1886 Brownes Dairy founded in Perth
Brownes Dairy is Western Australia's and, they claim, Australia's oldest dairy company. The company traces its history back to 1886… Read More
1886 Melbourne Beefsteak Club founded
Australia's oldest food society, the Melbourne Beefsteak Club, was founded in May 1886. Members were from business, professional and academic… Read More
1886 Dishwasher patented by Josephine Cochran
The first patent for a dish-washing machine was issued in 1850 in the USA, but the machine was never put… Read More
1886 Australian Vegetarian Society founded
The first Australian Vegetarian Society was formed in Melbourne on June 16 1886 to 'induce habits of abstinence from the… Read More
1886 Coca-Cola invented in USA
Coca-Cola remains Australia's most popular soft drink but its history began on the other side of the Pacific. Coca-Cola syrup… Read More
1886 Chaffey brothers’ irrigation schemes
George and William Chaffey were Canadians who had worked on irrigation schemes in California. They were invited to Australia by… Read More
1885 Brown Brothers founded in King Valley
Brown Brothers trace their origins back to 1885 when John Francis Brown planted 10 acres (4 hectares) of mostly Riesling,… Read More
1885 Gramma pie recipe
Although references to gramma squash can be found in Newcastle market reports from the 1850s, the vegetable had almost certainly… Read More
1885 First Balfours café opens in Rundle Street Adelaide
It was effectively the first Balfours café, but it was known at the time as Calder & Balfour’s Tea and… Read More
1885 Bee sanctuary created on Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island in South Australia is believed to be home to the world's only remaining colony of pure bred Ligurian… Read More
1885 Origin of Doyles at Watsons Bay
The Doyle family trace their restaurant's history back to 1885 when Alice Doyle's grandparents, Henry Newton and his wife Hannah… Read More
1884 King & Godfree store in Carlton, Victoria
The story of King & Godfree, Melbourne's most famous delicatessen, is a tale of three owners: the Richards Brothers, Messrs.… Read More
1883 Cattle overlanded to the Kimberley
The northward expansion of Western Australia’s pastoral industry initially took place by sea, with sheep shipped to the De Grey… Read More
1883 Australia’s first agricultural college
Australia's first agricultural college was founded at Roseworthy, 50km north of Adelaide in 1883. It was followed in 1886 by… Read More
1883 Bushell’s Tea introduced in Brisbane
Alfred Thomas Bushell was no stranger to the tea business when he arrived in Brisbane in 1883 and opened his… Read More
1883 Emu Burgundy brand registered
Emu Burgundy became Australia's most significant export brand in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1862, Patrick Auld… Read More
1882 Brockhoff’s Biscuits founded
Adolph Brockhoff established his flour mill and bakery in North Melbourne in 1882. His son Frederick took over the company… Read More
1882 Easter Show established at Moore Park, Sydney
The Agricultural Society of New South Wales held its first exhibition in the year of its founding in 1822. Known… Read More
1882 Cohn Brothers first Australian lager
Three Danish brothers, Moritz, Julius and Jacob Cohn arrived in Bendigo in 1853. In 1856 they began making cider and… Read More
1882 Sixpenny restaurants in Melbourne
A story titled "Life in Australia" was published in Reynolds's Newspaper in London in 1882. It described the type of… Read More
1881 Australia’s first dairy cooperative
The first dairy cooperative (and Australia's first agricultural cooperative), the South Coast and West Camden Co-operative Ltd., was formed by… Read More
1880 MacRobertson confectionery founded
MacRobertson confectionery had humble beginnings in the Fitzroy, Victoria, home of Macpherson Robertson. Born on the Victorian goldfields in 1859,… Read More
1880s Macadamia nuts commercially grown
Aboriginal people had been eating the native macadamia nuts for thousands of years, but they were not eaten by white… Read More