This list of oldest businesses and companies in Australia includes businesses, whether incorporated or organised in a different form (such as a partnership). However, the list excludes non-commercial associations and educational, governmental, or religious organisations. The list only includes businesses that still operate today under either the same name or a variant (such as a contraction or a part) of the original name, since inception.
Year | Business or Company | Field | Sources |
---|---|---|---|
1808 | Summerville Farm | Farm | [1] [2] |
1815 | The Bush Inn, Tasmania | Australian pub | |
1815 | Hope and Anchor Tavern | Australian pub | |
1815 | Macquarie Arms Hotel | Australian pub | |
1817 | Bank of New South Wales | Banking (First in Australia) | |
1821 | Gala Estate | Winemaking | [3] |
1821 | Woolpack Hotel | Australian pub | [4] [5] |
1822 | Allens | Law | [6] [7] [8] [9] |
1822 | Ratho Farm Golf Links | Farm | [10] |
1824 | Australian Agricultural Company | Farm | [11] |
1824 | Cascade Brewery | Brewing | [12] [13] |
1825 | Van Diemen's Land Company | Farm | |
1827 | Brunswick Hotel, Tasmania | Australian pub | [14] |
1827 | MinterEllison | Law | |
1828 | Fortune of War Hotel | Australian pub | |
1829 | Lionel Samson and Son | Merchant | [15] [16] |
1829 | Sadleirs | Transport | [17] |
1831 | The Sydney Morning Herald | Newspaper | |
1831 | Webster Limited | ||
1832 | Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons) | Law | [18] [19] |
1833 | Clayton Utz | Law | |
1833 | Theatre Royal, Sydney | ||
1833 | The West Australian | Newspaper | |
1835 | Australia & New Zealand Banking Group | Banking | |
1835 | Mountcastle & Sons | Hat Manufacturer | [20] [21] |
1836 | Houghton Wines | Winemaking | |
1837 | Australian Gas Light Company | Electricity generation | [22] [23] |
1837 | Fowler Potteries | ||
1837 | Swan Brewery | Brewing | |
1838 | David Jones | Retail | |
1839 | Port Phillip Sea Pilots | Marine Pilotage founded by George Tobin 17 June | |
1839 | Elders | ||
1840 | Geelong Advertiser | Newspaper | |
1840 | Herald Sun | Newspaper | |
1840 | Sandalford Wines | Winemaking | |
1841 | Ashurst Australia | Law | |
1841 | Lord Nelson Hotel, Millers Point | Australian pub | |
1843 | Hero of Waterloo Hotel | Australian pub | |
1843 | Lindeman's | Winemaking | |
1844 | Penfolds | Winemaking | |
1846 | The Courier-Mail | Newspaper | |
1846 | Insignia Financial | ||
1847 | Orlando Wines | Winemaking | |
1848 | Bank of South Australia | Banking | |
1848 | Melbourne Royal | Agricultural Society | |
1849 | Alex Fraser Group | [24] | |
1849 | AMP Limited | Finance | |
1849 | Harris Scarfe | Retail | |
1850 | Baxter Boots | Footwear | [25] |
1851 | John Sands | ||
1852 | Bosisto's | Eucalyptus oil | |
1852 | Grand View Hotel | Australian pub | |
1852 | McKenzie's | Food | |
1853 | Alcocks Billiard Table Manufacturers | [26] | |
1853 | Bates Smart | ||
1853 | Dimmeys | ||
1854 | The Age | Newspaper | |
1854 | Anchor Foods | ||
1855 | CSR Limited | Sugar refining | |
1855 | Wilmar Sugar Australia | Sugar refining | |
1857 | Whybirds Removals & Storage | Transport | [27] |
1858 | The Advertiser (Adelaide) | Newspaper | |
1858 | Bendigo and Adelaide Bank | Building society | |
1858 | Bendigo Pottery | ||
1858 | Fairfax & Roberts | Jewellery | [28] |
1860 | Tahbilk Winery | Winemaking | |
1860 | Dowell Windows | Manufacturing | |
1860 | McPherson's | Hardware (now personal care products) | [29] |
1862 | Coopers Brewery | Brewing | |
1864 | Gundagai Bakery | Baking | [30] |
1863 | ALS | ||
1863 | Bank of Queensland | Banking | |
1864 | Nindigully Pub | Australian pub | |
1864 | Saxbys Soft Drinks | Beverage manufacturing | |
1864 | J. Furphy & Sons | Manufacturing | [31] [32] [33] |
1865 | Arnott's Biscuits | Foodstuff manufacturing | |
1865 | Billson's Brewery | Brewing | |
1865 | Kirks | Manufacturing | |
1865 | Greenhalgh Tannery | [34] | |
1866 | Best's Great Western | Winemaking | |
1867 | William Inglis and Sons | ||
1870 | Blundstone Footwear | Footwear | |
1870 | Ritchies Stores | ||
1872 | Waverley Mills | [35] | |
1873 | Rio Tinto | Mining | |
1873 | The Riverine Grazier | Newspaper | |
1875 | Gunns | Timber | [36] |
1875 | Brambles | Logistics | |
1875 | Heritage Bank | Banking | |
1876 | Victor Churchill | Meat | [37] |
1877 | North Australian Pastoral Company | Pastoral | |
1877 | Schweppes Australia | ||
1880 | Fraser & Mountain | Plumbing | [38] |
1880 | IMB Bank | Banking | |
1882 | Adbri | Building products | |
1882 | Nerada Tea | Tea and coffee | |
1883 | Birdsall Leathercraft | [39] | |
1883 | Boag's Brewery | Brewing | |
1883 | Bushells | Tea and coffee | |
1883 | Raine & Horne | Real estate | [40] |
1883 | Earp Bros | Tiles and Hardware | [41] |
1884 | Alexanders Cigar Merchants | Tobacco products | |
1884 | Beenleigh Rum | Rum distilling | |
1885 | BHP | Mining | |
1885 | Lawrence & Hanson | Electrical wholesaler | [42] |
1886 | Cascade Beverages | Brewing | |
1886 | Angove Family Winemakers | Winemaking | |
1886 | Bunnings | Hardware | [43] |
1886 | GH Varley | Engineering & Manufacturing | [44] |
1886 | QBE Insurance | Insurance | |
1887 | Oliver Boots | Footwear | [45] |
1887 | Willow Ware Australia | Tinware manufacturing | |
1888 | Bundaberg Rum | Rum distilling | |
1888 | Willie Smith's | ||
1888 | James Hardie | Building products | |
1888 | Jumbuck Pastoral Company | ||
1888 | Noyes Brothers | ||
1888 | Toll | Haulage | [46] |
1888 | Warrnambool Cheese and Butter | Dairy | [47] [48] |
1889 | Blakistons | ||
1889 | Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard | Winemaking | |
1889 | Wormald International | ||
1890 | Ingrams Time Systems | Clock manufacturer | [49] |
1891 | Allen's | Confectionery manufacturing | |
1891 | Packer Leather | [50] | |
1891 | IXL | Jam and conserve manufacturing | |
1892 | BCR Australia | International Freight Forwarding | [51] |
1892 | Betts Group | ||
1892 | Sabco | Broom and brush manufacturer | |
1893 | Stafford Group | Tailoring | [52] |
1893 | Uncle Tobys | Food manufacturing | [53] |
1894 | Bowens (lumber) | ||
1894 | Stuart Alexander & Co Pty Ltd | ||
1894 | Val Morgan | Advertising | |
1895 | Tulloch Wines | Hunter Valley Winery | Winemaking |
1895 | Angus & Coote | ||
1895 | Australian Paper | ||
1895 | Bankwest | Banking | |
1897 | Akubra | Hat Manufacturer | |
1897 | Hamodava | ||
1898 | Cyclone Fence & Gate Company | [54] | |
1898 | Lowes Menswear | Clothing retail | |
1898 | Alderdice Brassfounders | Pump and valve manufacturing | [55] [56] |
1898 | Driza-Bone | Outerwear | [57] [58] |
1899 | Bega Cheese | Dairy | [59] |
1899 | Cairns Bank | Banking | |
1899 | S. Kidman & Co | Pastoral | |
1899 | MON Natural Foods | ||
1899 | UGL Rail | ||
1900 | Myer | Retail | |
1903 | Sidney & Hacking | Plumbing & Metalwork, Lismore NSW 2480 | |
1903 | Washington H Soul Pattinson | Retail Pharmacy chain; Investment company | [60] |
1904 | Hughes Limousines | Transport; Tourism | [61] |
1906 | Kiwi | Shoe polish | |
1906 | Winning Appliances | Retailer | |
1908 | Harry West Flags | High quality, Australian made flag manufacturer | |
1910 | Lucas' Papaw Ointment | ||
1910 | Rossi Boots | Footwear | |
1911 | Commonwealth Bank | Banking | |
1911 | Globite | Retail | |
1912 | Hutchinson Builders | Construction | |
1913 | Acme Case Company | Manufacturing, Industrial Timber Packaging | [62] |
1914 | Stadiums Limited | Events, Live Music, Promoting and Boxing | |
1914 | Wesfarmers | Retail | [63] [64] |
1916 | Metal Manufactures Pty Limited (company) rebranded as MM Electrical Merchandising (MMEM) | Electrical Suppliers | [65] |
1917 | Wallace Bishop | Retail | |
1917 | Sims Metal | Metal recycling | [66] |
1919 | Three Threes | Manufacturing | |
1919 | Queen’s Slipper | Playing cards | |
1920 | Qantas | Airline | |
1920 | Mascot Engineering | Manufacturing | |
1925 | Jono Hennessy | Eyewear Manufacturing |
Vegemite is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1922, and it was first sold in stores on 25 October 1923.
Joseph Furphy was an Australian author and poet who is widely regarded as the "Father of the Australian novel". He mostly wrote under the pseudonym Tom Collins and is best known for his novel Such Is Life (1903), regarded as an Australian classic.
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately 181 kilometres (112 mi) north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, including the adjacent town of Mooroopna, was 53,841.
A furphy is Australian slang for an erroneous or improbable story that is claimed to be factual. Furphies are supposedly heard from reputable sources, sometimes secondhand or thirdhand, and widely believed until discounted.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2023, the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 students, an alumni base of more than 176,000 [LC1] and over 2,400 staff members including 16 Distinguished professors.
Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia, in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley.
Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two villages near the Princes Highway in Eurobodalla Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2021 census, Central Tilba and surrounding areas had a population of 342.
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Farmers Union is a brand name established by the South Australian Farmers' Co-operative Union Ltd (SAFU), and now owned by Bega Cheese
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SPC Global Limited, formerly SPC Ardmona, is an Australian-based global agribusiness that specialises in food manufacturing, in particular large fruit processing and packing and owns and operates a factory in Shepparton and is one of the biggest employers in the Goulburn Valley region.
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