1939 World War II declared
At 9.15pm on 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Menzies said in a radio address to the nation "It is my… Read More
1930s
1939 Beginnings of San Remo pasta
Some accounts suggest that the founder of San Remo pasta, Luigi Crotti, arrived from Italy in 1936 and immediately began… Read More
1939? Kool Mints developed by Griffiths Sweets
When I worked in advertising , Allen's Sweets was among my clients. In the late 1970s, I developed a television… Read More
1939 Wine and Food Society NSW
The Wine and Food Society NSW was launched in the Rhine Castle Cellars on 9 March, 1939, with the inaugural… Read More
1939 Steak Diane introduced to Australia
There is some dispute about the origins of Steak Diane but it was almost certainly introduced to Australia by Tony… Read More
1938 Nescafé instant coffee invented in Switzerland.
While not the first instant coffee to be marketed, Nescafé was the first to be made by a spray drying process… Read More
1938 Coca-Cola first bottled in Australia
A Roy Morgan survey in 2015 showed that four of the five most popular soft drinks in Australia were cola… Read More
1938 First Blackmores health food store
Blackmores, makers of a range of dietary supplements, used to claim that their founder, Maurice Blackmore, opened Australia's first health… Read More
1938 First Australian supermarket?
Although a number of grocery chains were already offering self-service, it seems that in 1938 Farr's of Newcastle, New South… Read More
1938 Brockhoff launches Savoy Crackers
The supermarket shelves offer a plethora of round, crinkly-edged crackers. Three of them are under the Arnott's brand: Jatz, Savoy… Read More
1937 Narooma fish cannery opens
The Narooma Fish Cannery was opened at the suggestion of Theodore Cleveland Roughley, an economic zoologist from the Technological Museum,… Read More
1937 Earliest known Chocolate Crackles recipe
Chocolate Crackles are small, chocolate-flavoured cakes made from Rice Bubbles, coconut and Copha. The earliest Chocolate Crackles recipe so far… Read More
1937 First beer garden in Australia. Or not.
Pub beer gardens are a familiar part of our Aussie lifestyle. So it may surprise you to learn that we… Read More
1937 Houghton White Burgundy created
Winemaker Jack Mann created Houghton White Burgundy (now Houghton Classic White). The wine is still assembled from parcels of different… Read More
1937 First frog farm at Euroa
It was touted in American magazines as a money-making enterprise. Henry Jacka and Sydney Willson imported 'breeding stock' of bullfrogs from… Read More
1937 The bread and butter slimming diet
In 1937, an article in the Sunday Times in Perth suggested a revolutionary new slimming diet: the bread and butter… Read More
1937 Tasmania ends six o’clock closing
Tasmania was the first Australian state to jettison the six o'clock closing legislation introduced during WWI. In 1916, Tasmania had joined… Read More
1937 Sunshine powdered milk launched in Australia.
Sunshine Powdered Milk became a staple during the war years. It was often used to make up bottles for babies… Read More
1936 Commonwealth Advisory Council on Nutrition
The Commonwealth Advisory Council on Nutrition was formed in 1936 after Australian delegates to the Assembly of the League of… Read More
1936 Harry’s Cafe de Wheels
Harry 'Tiger' Edwards operated a pie cart in Sydney's Woolloomooloo just before WWII, taking advantage of custom from the navy… Read More
1936 Weis bar developed in Toowoomba
n 1936, Cyril Weis created what he call his Fruito Bar, a bar of ice cream and tropical fruits, which… Read More
1936 Wine and Food Society of Victoria
The Wine and Food Society of Victoria was modelled on the London Wine and Food Society established by gourmet and… Read More
1936 Seafood cocktail on the beach
In 1936, The Mail, Adelaide, published a recipe for seafood cocktail as a suggestion for a beach party. It's unclear… Read More
1935 Pavlova dessert in Perth
The dessert we know as Pavlova was inspired by Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and both New Zealand and Australia claim… Read More
Mid-1930s Hamburger the new fast food
The history of the hamburger is a murky one. No one really knows who invented them or what their connection… Read More
1935 First quiche recipe published in Australia?
Here in Australia, we strongly associate quiche with the 1970s, but the first recipes for Quiche Lorraine were published many… Read More
1935 Heinz starts manufacturing in Richmond
Products made by the US-owned Heinz company had been imported and sold in Australia since the late 19th century. The… Read More
1934 MILO introduced
First marketed as Nestlé’s Tonic Food, Milo powder was developed at Abbotsford in Sydney and launched at the Royal Easter… Read More
1934 Pearl meat industry begins
Pearl meat is the adductor muscle of the pearl oyster and is a by-product of the pearl and pearl shell… Read More
1933 Brahman cattle imported
Although other strains of Bos Indicus (Asian cattle) had been imported earlier, the breed now known as Brahman was first… Read More
1933 Australian Women’s Weekly founded
Originally conceived as a weekly newspaper for women, The Australian Women's Weekly became the largest-selling magazine ever circulated in this… Read More
1933 Australia’s first commercial mushroom farm
In Europe, people were cultivating mushrooms as early as the 1600s and, in the 19th century, commercial cultivation of "Paris… Read More
1933 First Cahills restaurant in Sydney
They were the Sizzlers of their day. Cahills restaurants, dotted around Sydney from 1933 until the early 1980s, offered a… Read More
1933 Chocolate Ripple Cake
Brockhoff's Chocolate Ripple biscuits were introduced in the early 1930s and the first recipes for Chocolate Ripple Cake appeared in… Read More
1933 The term ‘supermarket’ is first used
Albers Super Market in Cincinatti,USA,was the first to use the term ‘supermarket ’. William Albers, former president of Kroger Grocery… Read More
1932 Yo-Yo biscuits launched
Yo-Yo biscuits, now made by Arnott's, are a uniquely South Australian product. They were first produced by W. Menz and… Read More
1932 First Meadow Lea margarine released
Margarine was developed in the mid-1800s in France. Meadow Lea was one of the first margarines marketed in Australia. The… Read More
1932 Australia’s first milk bar
The Black and White 4d. Milk Bar, in Martin Place, Sydney was opened by Mick Adams in November 1932. He developed… Read More
1932 Vita-Weat first made in Australia
Vita-Weat crispbreads were first produced by Peek Frean in the UK and were the foundation product when the biscuit company… Read More
1932 Nuttelex vegetable margarine introduced
Unlike many early margarines which were made from or included animal fats, Nuttelex has always been a purely vegetarian spread.… Read More
1932 Mario’s Restaurant opens in Melbourne
The influx of immigrants after World War II is widely credited with introducing Australians to Italian food. But, in Melbourne,… Read More
1932 The Italian Society restaurant opens in Bourke Street.
Founded by Guiseppe Codognotto to cater to Italian immigrants, the famous Bourke Street restaurant, The Italian Society, was run by… Read More
1931 Beef Riot in Adelaide
In one of the most notorious incidents of the Great Depression, around 2000 of the unemployed staged a march from… Read More
1931 Smith’s Potato Chips arrive in Australia
Smith’s Chips (then called Smith's Crisps) were first sold in the UK by Mr. Frank Smith. The potato chips he… Read More
1931 Sweetacres make Jaffas
Jaffas, with their chocolate core and orange-flavoured shell, were made by James Stedman-Henderson’s Sweets Ltd of Sydney under the brand… Read More
1930 Freddo Frog introduced
Freddo Frog was introduced by MacRobertson's in 1930. The original plan was to launch a mouse-shaped chocolate bar, but a… Read More
1930 Fantales introduced
For decades, going to the movies involved either a pack of Jaffas or a a box of Fantales. The chocolate-covered… Read More
1930? Queensland bans peanut butter
It seems the dairy industry objected to the word “butter” being used for anything other than the dairy product. In… Read More
1930 World’s first supermarket
King Kullen, the Price Wrecker, opened in 1930 in Long Island, New York. King Kullen is recognized by the Smithsonian… Read More
1930 Repin’s Coffee Inns founded in Sydney
From the 1930s to the 1960s, Repin's Coffee Inns were an institution in Sydney, providing office workers with good coffee… Read More
1930 Eat More Bread campaign
The ‘Eat More Bread’ campaign was a response to a surplus of wheat in Australia. A promotional booklet was distributed… Read More
1930 Personality Chocolates in Sydney
Personality Chocolates was a boutique chocolate maker with a factory in Bayswater Road, King's Cross. The company began in 1930… Read More
1930 Foodbank origins in Victoria
It wasn't known as Foodbank back then. But the State Relief Committee has evolved over the years, officially adopting the… Read More
1930 First Coles cafeteria
For several generations of Australians, a visit to Coles Cafeteria was the highlight of a trip to the city. Coles'… Read More
1930 Perfect Cheese founded by Natale Italiano
Natale Italiano was born in Scido in Calabria, near the toe of Italy's boot. He emigrated to Australia in 1922… Read More
1930s Procera becomes Australia’s first franchise
The Procera bread baking process involved enriching the flour with gluten, thus boosting its protein content, decreasing starch and improving… Read More