Industrial Revolution

  • Discovery of Coal

    Discovered at the mouth of the Hunter River, New South Wales, by escaping convict, William Bryant.
  • 2nd Discovery of Coal

    Discovered on the south coast of New South Wales, by one Mr William Clarke.
  • Period: to

    Financial Boom Causes Infrastructure to Support Development of the Industrial Society

  • First Coal Mine Established

    Established at the mouth of the Hunter River.
  • Coal Mine Settlement Established

    Governer King set up a permanent setllement, known as Newcastle.
  • Period: to

    Production of Salt

    Used locally harvested to coal to boil seawater. Seashells were also burned to produce lime, mainly for construction purposes.
  • 1st Steam Engine Arrives in NSW

    Installed in John Dickson's flour mill, the area is now known as Dixon St.
  • Mill Established in Sydney by Simeon Lord

  • Simeon Lord Enters Agreement

    An agreement with Governer Mcquarie to mill, dye and dress cloth from the Female Factory of Parramatta
  • Period: to

    5 More Steam Engines Arrive

  • Sophia Jane Arrives in Sydney

    The Sophia Jane, Australia's first paddle, arrives in Sydney. It was originally built in England, and shipped to Sydney.
  • 2nd Textile Factory Established

    Established at Blackwattle Bay, Sydney, it is said it produced the 'finest as well as the coarsest cloths'
  • 7 Woollen Mills in New South Wales

  • Majority of Population Wearing Tweeds

  • Sophia Jane Makes it's First Voyage

    Sophia Jane makes her first vogage from Sydney to Paramatta.
  • First Attempt at Australian Iron and Steel Smelting

    First attempt at iron and steel smelting, plant made near Mittagong, NSW.
  • Building of New South Wales First Railway

    Built by the Sydney Railway Company, it was placed between Sydney and Parramatta, a distance of 22km. The NSW Colonial Government took over when the project ran out of funding.
  • Period: to

    Mass Opening of Goldfields

    The mass opening of goldfields caused a growing demand for items such as picks, shovels and other tools used for harvesting gold. Steam Engines began being used to transport gold from towns to goldfields, look through dates 1855, 1858 and 1561
  • NSW and Vic Gold Rush

    Gold Rush brought wealth, Sydney and Melbourne became growing cities. This wealth gave Australians new technology, which gave them the tools to build new ones.
  • Steamships Running Services

    Steamship were running services from ports such as; Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Moreton Bay, Adelaide and Tasmania.
  • Output of Cloth Reaches 1852 Yards Per Annum

  • Australia's First Railway

    Opened between Melbourne's Flinder's Streets and Port Melbourne
  • 13 Steam Engines in Ballarat

  • Sydney's First Locomotive

  • New South Wales' First Railway Opened

  • First Cast-Iron Foundry

    Established in Melbourne by Scott Clow and Prebble, due to the increasing need for repairs and maintenance of Steam Engines.
  • First Railway in South Australia Opened

    Opened between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, South Australia previously used horse-drawn railway.
  • Extension of Queenslands First Railway

    Originally running from Ipswich to Grandchester, it was then extended to the Darling Down's before Brisbane.
  • 135 Steam Engines in Ballarat

  • Treadle and Steam Driven Sewing Machines in Use

  • Ballarat

    In 1861, Ballarat had 10 foundries, 8 for mining equipment, the others for producing and repairing farming equipment.
  • Rolling Mill Established

    Established in Melbourne, by Enoch Hughes.
  • 342 Steam Engines in Ballarat

  • Suggested First Cloth Ever Woven

    Produced at Pentridge Prison.
  • 72km Railway Opened in Tasmania

    Running between Launceston and Deloraine, it is unspecified whether this is Tasmania's first operating railway.
  • Suggested First Cloth Ever Woven

    Woven in Victoria by the Victorian Woollen and Cloth Manufacturing Company
  • Period: to

    Increase in Textile Factory Workers

    Relying heavily on the cheap labour of women and migrant workers, the textile industry expanded. Employee numbers went from approx. 1000 in 1877 and increasing to approx. 2000 by 1895 to 1900
  • Western Australia's First Railway Opened

    A private, timber railway operating between Lockville and Yoganup, was the first railway to operate in Western Australia
  • Second Attempt at Iron and Steel Smelting

    This plant was founded in Victoria, under the name 'Victoria Iron Company'.
  • Waverly Woollen Mill Established

    Established at Distillery Creak, near Launceston. Won 1000 Pounds offered by the Tasmanian Colonial Government for the first woollen good prodeuced in the colony by locally produced wool.
  • Victoria Iron Company Name Change

    Victoria Iron Comany changed it's name to 'Lal Lal Iron Mining Co. Ltd'.
  • Small Blast Furnace Produced

    It took five years to create a satisfactory blast furnace. It's main use was to produce iron locomotive wheels.
  • First Smelting Plant Closed

    The smelting plant was not economical, and as such,was shut down.
  • Western Australia's First Government Railway Opened

    Working between Geraldton and Northampton.
  • Broken Hill Mining Company Established

    Broken Hill Mining Company established by seven men from Mt Gipps sheep station. Established after boundary rider, Charles Rasp, discovers tin on the 'Broken Hill' Barrier Ranges, Western New South Wales
  • Establishment of BHP

    Australia's first major mining and steel production company, Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited, or BHP for short. Established after Broken Hill Mining Company is dissolved and incorporated. BHP begins mining silver, zinc and lead.
  • Northern Territory Railway Opened

    Running between Darwin and Pine Creek, this railway was 253km long.
  • Smelting Commences

    Smelting Commences at Port Pirie, South Australia.
  • First Export of Lead to China by BHP

  • Period: to

    Severe Recession

  • Leases Obtained (BHP)

    Leases Obtained over Iron Knob and Iron Baron iron-ore deposits. South Australia.
  • Iron-Ore Mining Commences

    BHP commences mine iron-ore at Iron Knob.
  • Australian Capital Territory Railway Opened

    A 10km branch line operating between Queanbeyan and Canberra.
  • BHP Begins Steelworks Operations

    Steelwork operations begin in Newcastle, NSW.