Australia's Tea History
Tea arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. By 1820 tea was the drink of choice, not reserved for the drawing rooms of the privileged but enjoyed by all Australians. In early colonial times, the four imported staples were tea, sugar, wheat and flour-so everyone from servants to officers to convicts were able to sip on their favourite brew.
Early folklore speaks of swagmen roaming the countryside and sharing yarns over cuppas beside remote campfires, and of cherished tea rations during colonial times. Swagmen and soldiers used to carry the leaves in their kit and the sundowner was rarely without his billy as he traipsed well-trodden outback routes.
Throughout Australia's history, tea has continued to be a drink for men and women of all classes and regions. It has inspired much art, poetry and song and features in Australia's un-official national anthem, Banjo Paterson's "Waltzing Matilda" as well as Victorian poet Keighley Goodchild's 1883 ballad "While the Billy Boils".
Tea now evokes a sense of nostalgia, representing for many a time of togetherness and friendship. This was especially true during conflict, with Australian soldiers abroad mailed packets of tea to remind them of home, and as a comforting pick-me-up.
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