List of oldest companies in Australia

Last updated

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.

YearBusiness or CompanyFieldSources
1808Summerville FarmFarm [1] [2]
1815 The Bush Inn, Tasmania Australian pub
1815 Hope and Anchor Tavern Australian pub
1815 Macquarie Arms Hotel Australian pub
1822 Allens Law [3] [4] [5] [6]
1822 Ratho Farm Golf Links Farm [7]
1824 Australian Agricultural Company Farm [8]
1824 Cascade Brewery Brewing [9] [10]
1825 Van Diemen's Land Company Farm
1827 MinterEllison Law
1828 Fortune of War Hotel Australian pub
1829 Lionel Samson and Son Merchant [11] [12]
1831 Webster Limited
1833 Clayton Utz Law
1833 Theatre Royal, Sydney
1835 ANZ Bank Banking
1835 Mountcastle & Sons Hat manufacturer [13] [14]
1836 Houghton Wines Winemaking
1837 Fowler Potteries
1837 Swan Brewery Brewing
1838 David Jones Retail
1839 Elders
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 BankSA Banking
1849 AMP Finance
1849 Harris Scarfe Retail
1850 Baxter Boots Footwear [15]
1851 John Sands
1852 Bosisto's Eucalyptus oil
1852 Grand View Hotel Australian pub
1852 McKenzie's Food [16]
1853 Alcocks Billiard Table Manufacturers [17]
1853 Bates Smart
1853 Balfours Bakery
1853 Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
1853 Dimmeys
1854 Anchor Foods
1854 Maldon Bakery Bakery [18]
1855 CSR Sugar refining
1855 Wilmar Sugar Australia Sugar refining
1857 Old Canberra Inn Australian pub
1858Backwell IXLManufacturing [19] [20]
1858 Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Building society
1858Bendigo Pottery [21]
1858Fairfax & RobertsJewellery [22]
1862 Coopers Brewery Brewing
1863 ALS Chemical manufacturing (as Campbell Brothers)
1863 Bank of Queensland Banking
1864Gundagai Bakery Bakery [23]
1864 Nindigully Pub Australian pub
1864 Saxbys Soft Drinks Beverage manufacturing
1864 J. Furphy & Sons Manufacturing [24] [25] [26]
1865 Arnott's Biscuits Foodstuff manufacturing
1865 Billson's Brewery Brewing
1865 Godfrey Hirst Carpet manufacturing [27]
1865 Kirks Manufacturing
1866 Best's Great Western Winemaking
1865McMaster’s Pies Pie shop [28]
1867 William Inglis & Son
1870 Blundstone Footwear Footwear
1870 Ritchies Stores
1872Donohue’s Quality Meats Butcher shop [29]
1873 Rio Tinto Mining
1873 The Riverine Grazier Newspaper
1874 Bickford's Australia Beverage manufacturing
1875 Gunns Timber [30]
1875 Brambles Logistics
1875 Heritage Bank Banking
1876Pivot Stove & HeatingHeating Retailer
1876 Victor Churchill Butcher shop [31]
1877 Dahlsens Building Centres Building
1877 North Australian Pastoral Company Pastoral
1877 Schweppes Australia Beverage manufacturing
1879 Griffiths Brothers Teas Tea and coffee
1879J. L .Lennard Pty. Ltd.Food, Packaging and Pharmaceutical Machinery Sales and Service [32]
1880 IMB Bank Banking
1882 Adbri Building products
1882 Nerada Tea Tea and coffee
1883 Birdsall Leather
1883 Boag's Brewery Brewing
1883 Bushells Tea and coffee
1883 Raine & Horne Real estate [33]
1883 Earp Bros Tiles and hardware [34]
1884 Alexanders Cigar Merchants Tobacco products [35]
1884 Beenleigh Rum Rum distilling
1885 BHP Mining
1885 Doyles on the Beach Fish and chip shop
1886 Cascade Beverages Beverage manufacturing
1886 Angove Family Winemakers Winemaking
1886 Bunnings Timber, hardware [36]
1886 QBE Insurance Insurance
1887 Oliver Boots Footwear [37]
1887 Willow Ware Australia Tinware manufacturing
1888 Bundaberg Rum Rum distilling
1888 Willie Smith's Cider
1888 James Hardie Building products
1888 Jumbuck Pastoral Company
1888 Noyes Brothers
1888 Toll Haulage [38]
1888 Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Dairy [39] [40]
1889 Blakistons
1889 Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard Winemaking
1889 Wormald International
1890Henry BucksClothing retail [41] [42]
1890 Kookaburra Sport
1891 Allen's Confectionery manufacturing
1891 IXL Jam and conserve manufacturing
1892BCR AustraliaInternational Freight Forwarding [43]
1892 Betts Group
1892 Sabco Broom and brush manufacturer
1893 Berts Soft Drinks Beverage manufacturing [44]
1893 Uncle Tobys Food manufacturing [45]
1894 EV2 Sportswear Sportswear [46]
1894 Stuart Alexander & Company
1894 Val Morgan Advertising
1895 Angus & Coote
1895 Australian Paper
1895 Bankwest Banking
1897 Akubra Hat manufacturer
1897 Hamodava
1897 Northcote Pottery [47]
1898 Cyclone Fence & Gate Company [48]
1898 Lowes Menswear Clothing retail
1898 Alderdice Brassfounders Pump and valve manufacturing [49] [50]
1898 Driza-Bone Outerwear [51]
1899 Bega Cheese Dairy [52]
1899 Cairns Bank Banking
1899 River Port Beverages Beverage manufacturing [53]
1899 S Kidman & Company Pastoral
1899 UGL Rail
1900 Myer Retail
1903 Soul Patts Retail Pharmacy chain; Investment company [54]
1906 Winning Appliances Retailer
1910 Lucas' Papaw Ointment
1910 Rossi Boots Footwear
1911 Commonwealth Bank Banking
1912 Hutchinson Builders Construction
1914 Stadiums Limited Events, Live Music, Promoting and Boxing
1914 Wesfarmers Retail [55] [56]
1917 Wallace Bishop Retail
1917 Sims Metal Metal recycling [57]
1917 Dawn Tools Manufacturing [58]
1919 Three Threes Manufacturing
1920 Qantas Airline
1925 Filmer Sceats Eyewear manufacturing

See also

References

  1. ↑ Logistics, Lochm M. Fraser. "Australia's oldest family business". lochm.com.au.
  2. ↑ "Australia's Oldest Family Owned Company". Sadleirs. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "Oldest Legal Firm Australian Record - Mssrs Allen, Allen and Hemsley". Sydney Morning Herald . 22 July 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  4. ↑ Cowper, Norman, Vivienne Parsons. "George Allen (1800–1877)". Allen, George (1800-1877). ADB . Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "George Allen". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney . Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "Mr George Allen (1800-1877)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "Golf Course History | Ratho Farm". Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Campbell, D.; Brougham, J.; Caldwell, R. Uncovering and understanding Australia's First Railway (PDF). Australian Journal of Multi-disciplinary Engineering. Vol. 7, no. 2. Newcastle, NSW: Engineering Heritage Australia. pp. 2–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  9. ↑ McSmith, Andy (18 October 2007). "It's the craic that brings you back". New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Starke, Andrew (1 November 2010). "Cascade gets a Makeover". The Shout. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Kohler, Alan (18 July 2013). "Australia's oldest family business". Business Spectator . Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  12. ↑ Mossenson, David. "Samson, Lionel (1799–1878)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Slouch hats continued to be made in Australia". Parliament of Australia (Press release). 26 March 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  14. ↑ "Messrs Mountcastle and Sons". 28 December 1895. p. 1. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "From Anzac army boots to planned Sydney CBD store, Baxter Boots keeps marching on". BRW . Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Quality Australian Ingredients | McKenzie's Foods". www.mckenziesfoods.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  17. ↑ "Alcocks | Alcocks Billiard Table Manufacturers - Since 1853". alcocks.com.au. 18 March 2020.
  18. ↑ "The Maldon Bakery". www.maldonbakery.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  19. ↑ "IXL Group". www.ixl.com.au. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  20. ↑ McLean, G.A. (13 May 2024), Historical data of Backwell IXL: a Geelong appliance, car component and foundry products manufacturer, Deakin University, doi:10.26187/deakin.25808398.v1 , retrieved 19 February 2025
  21. ↑ "Ceramics| Bendigo Pottery". www.bendigopottery.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "Fairfax & Roberts jewellery CEO Georgina Brujic opens doors to change". Australian Financial Review . 26 November 2015.
  23. ↑ Visit NSW; Government of NSW. "Historic Gundagai Bakery - the oldest working bakery in Australia". visitnsw.com. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  24. ↑ Chicob; J. Furphy & Sons (1919). Furphy's farm water carts and other specialities, made by J. Furphy & Sons, implement makers Shepparton, Victoria. Shepparton: The Shepparton News. Archived from the original (Includes "Lost in a Furphy", by Chicob, article reprinted from Sydney Mail, 29 September 1909) on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  25. ↑ Linton, Darren; Shepparton Motor Museum. "A place for all things Furphy". Shepparton Motor Museum. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  26. ↑ J. Furphy & Sons. "Good, better, best". The Furphy Story. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  27. ↑ "Godfrey Hirst Carpets". www.godfreyhirst.com. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  28. ↑ "McMasters Pies". mcmasterspies.com. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  29. ↑ "Could this be Australia's oldest continually operating butcher shop?". 14 March 2025.
  30. ↑ "National City Co. Has Amalgamated with Associates". Border Cities Star . 19 February 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  31. ↑ "Victor Churchill". Victor Churchill.
  32. ↑ "J.L.Lennard". jllennard.com.au/about-us. 2 April 2025.
  33. ↑ "About Raine & Horne - Raine & Horne Real Estate Brand". raineandhorne.com.au.
  34. ↑ McDonald, Andrew (12 November 2018). "Earp Bros celebrate 135 years and new showroom | Architecture & Design". INDESIGNLIVE. InDesign Media Asia Pacific. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  35. ↑ "Alexanders Cigars". Archived from the original on 19 August 2002.
  36. ↑ "Our History". Bunnings .
  37. ↑ "Work & Safety Boots | Safety Footwear Solutions | Oliver Footwear". oliver.com.au.
  38. ↑ "History". Toll Holdings Limited. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  39. ↑ Hopkins, Philip (28 May 2004). "New culture for former dairy co-op". The Age . Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  40. ↑ Ockenden, Will (4 May 2013). "Bega Cheese launches $319 million takover [sic] bid for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter". Australia: ABC. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  41. ↑ "Henry Bucks - Australia's Best Menswear & Suit Specialists". henrybucks.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  42. ↑ "The next Tim Cecil".
  43. ↑ Thirgood, Michael (20 October 2022). "BCR Celebrating 130 Years" (PDF). Across Borders Magazine. p. 55. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  44. ↑ "Home | Berts Softdrinks". www.berts.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  45. ↑ "Our story". Uncle Tobys. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  46. ↑ "EV2 Sportswear".
  47. ↑ "Northcote Pottery | The container gardening experts". northcotepottery.com. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  48. ↑ "Our Story". Cyclone Tools.
  49. ↑ Downing, Bill (1998). "History of Alderdice Brassfounders Pty. Ltd : 1898-1998 ISBN 0646359525" . Retrieved 17 September 2019– via National Library of Australia.
  50. ↑ "Alderdice Water Pumping and Water Control Equipment". Alderdice.com.au. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  51. ↑ Bone, Driza (2 May 2018). "About Driza-Bone". Driza-Bone . Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  52. ↑ "Bega Cheese Brief History". Bega Cheese . 14 October 2018. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  53. ↑ "River Port Beverages". www.riverport.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  54. ↑ "Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited – History". whsp.com.au. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  55. ↑ Gosch, Elizabeth (3 July 2007). "Bumper harvest as farm stock keeps growing". The Australian . Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  56. ↑ Askew, Kate (3 July 2007). "From farm boy to history man". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  57. ↑ "History of Sims Metal Management". simsmm.com. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  58. ↑ "Dawn Tools". www.dawntools.com.au. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.