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In 1788 in Australia the Industrial Revolution was in its early stages. it was expected that the main activity of the new colony would be farming in order to feed the settlers. no steam powered machinery was included in the supplies brought from england.
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In 1791,coal was first discovered by Europeans in Australia at the mouth of the Hunter River in New South Wales by the escaping convict William Bryant. His wife is thought to be the first European woman to use Australian coal for cooking.
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The next discovery of coal was on the south coast of New South Wales by William Clarke near preasent-day Thirroul in 1797.
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The first coalmine in Australia was established near the mouth of the Hunter River in 1801
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In 1804, Governor King set up a permanent settlement at the first coalmine and called it Newcastle. It became the centre for development of Australia's coal trade.
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One of the first uses of Newcastle coal was for the production osf salt. Seawater was boiled using local coal or fuel. This operated from 1804 to 1808. In the same area, seashells wera burnt to produce lime, mainly for building.
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In 1813, the first steam to be shiped to the colony of New South Wales arived. Until this time, mechanical work had been done by windmills, convict tredmils or animals. The steam engine was installed in John Dickson's flourmill at Darling Harbour.
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In 1815, Simeon Lord established a mill in Sydney and in 1816 he entered into an agreement with Governor Macquarie to mill, dye and dress cloth from the female factory at Paramatta.
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The Bridgewater Foundry was on the Bridge water Canal in 1830
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The Sophia Jane was the first paddle steamer to regularly operate in Australian waters. It was built in Englang and arrived in Sydney in 1831. While the Sophia Jane was having its paddles fitted in readiness for its maiden voyage, another steamer called the Suprise made its first voyae from Sydney to Parramatta on 1st june 1831. It became the first steam-powered vessel in Australia.
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The Australian Agricultural company's coal worked at mNewcastle in the 1840s
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Another significant event in the industrialisation of Australia occurred when Peter Russell took over the Sydney Foundry and Engineering Works in 1841. This foundry, thought to be the first foundry established in Australia, prduced iron and brass castings along with stoves, gratings, railings and steam engine part.
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The first attempt at establishing iron and steel smelting in Australia near Mittagong, NSW. The plant was not economical and closed by 1877.
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In New South Wales, in 1849, the Sydney Railway Company started building the first railway track in New South Walles between sydney and paramatta-a distance of 22 kilometrers. The project ran into financial difficulty and was taken over by the NSW colonial government. The lined opened on the 26 Semptember 1855.
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With the rapid openings of gold fields in the 1850s, there was a demand for picks, shovels and the various tools neede for fossicking for gold.
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The gold rushes of 1851 in both New South Wales and victoria not inly brought wealth but also an increase in population. Sydney and melbourne suddenly became growing cities, with buildings to rival those in other parts of the world. Very soon after the technology was invented, australians were using innovations as the eletrical telegraph, telephones, trams,,gas and eletric light.
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By 1852, steamships were running services between ports including Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Moreton Bay (Brisbane), Adelaide and Tasmania.
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I Victoria, the first railway line in Australia opened between Melbourne's Flinders Street Station and Port Melbourne, then called sandridge, on 12 Semptember 1854.
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In 1856, Scott Clow and Prebble opened the first cast-iron foundry in Melbourne.
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In 1860, Enoch Hughes established a rolling mill in Melbourne and later was to play a major role in establishing an iron and steel works in Lithgow, NSW.
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By 1861, Ballarat had ten foundries, eight for mining equipment and two for producing and reparing farming equipment.
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In Tasmania, a railway line 72 kilometres long opened between the northan towns of Launceston and deloraine in 1868.
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Peter Russell played an important role in founding the institute of engineers in 1870.
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Another attempt was made in victoria in 1873, with th formation of victoria Iron Company-later to become the Lal Lal Iron Minning Co. Ltd a year later.
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The Waverley Woolen Mill at Distillery Creek, near launceston, was established in 1873 and won the prize of 1000 pounds offered by the Tasmanian colonial Government for the first woolen goods manufactured in the colony from locally produced wool.
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The first railway in Queensland ran from Ipswich to Grandchester using the narrow 1067 millimetre gauge. The system was extended further to the Darling Downs before being connected with Brisbane , the capital, in 1875.
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A small blast furnace was built in 1875 and operated into the 1880s but was never an economic propisistion.
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Gold gave a huge finacial financial boost to Australia, leading to the boom of the 1880s whenthe infrastructure for the development of an industrial society was put in place.
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Charles Rasp, a boundary rider on the Mt Gipps sheep station, believes he has discovered tin on the 'broken hill' in the Baarrier Ranges in Western New South Wales. The Broken Hill Mining Company was established by seven men from the Mt Gipps sheep station.
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With the establishment of the Borken Hill Proprietary Limited (BHP) in 1885, Australia was to have its first major mining and steel production company.
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Smealting commences at Port Pire, South Australia.
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The first export of lead to China by BHP.
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Leases are obtained over Iron Knob and Iron Baron, iron-ore deposits in South Australia.
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BHP commences iron-ore mining at Iron Knob.
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In the Australian Capital Territory, a 10 kilometre branch line opened between Queanbeyan, NSW, and Canberra in 1914.
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BHP begins steelworks operation at Newcastle, NSW, on june 2.