Mystery Epidemic of 1838
During the later part of 1838, a mystery illness raged through the colony. The Hobart Town Currier, Friday 28th December 1838 wrote; ‘the prevailing epidemic which has attacked most families throughout the country, and has, in its progress, spared neither the...
Cabbage Tree Hats
The cabbage tree hat is the first distinctly Australian headgear to be worn by European settlers seeking protection from the sun. Traditionally made from the native cabbage tree palm (Livistona Australis), they soon became popular throughout the Colony. More...
The Drought of 1837-42
Drought in south-east Australia from 1837 to 1842 contributed to a catastrophic fall in land sales and the onset of depression in 1841 reduced the demand for labour. (1) In April 1839 Lady Jane Franklin was travelling north along the Sydney road and when near Yass,...
Smallpox
About a year after the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney a major smallpox epidemic broke out. However, it did not affect the British colonists, most of who had been exposed to the disease during their infancy. As a result, smallpox was not detected until members of...Event Locations
