A page from a French newspaper.

(1892). Supplement au Bulletin commercial du Cerneen du 12 mai 1892.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-51170886

A page from a French newspaper celebrating Christmas in 1878 in Ausralia.

MERRY CHRISTMAS (1873). La Revue Australienne : Journal des Interets Francais en Australie ... (Sydney, NSW: 1873–1874). http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article260434262

A page from a French newspaper titles Courrier Australien.

LA CLIQUE DARLAN (1943, January 1). Le Courrier Australien (Sydney, NSW : 1892 - 2011). http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161749598

Newspaper Resources

Le Courrier Australien

Supplement au Bulletin commercial du Cerneen

Revue Australienne: Journal des Interets Francais en Australie

French Settlement in Australia

French settlement in Australia commenced soon after the arrival of the First Fleet. Landowners became merchants and winemakers. The French migrant population came as individuals rather than in large groups and immigration increased after World War II. An increase also occurred after the independence of French colonies in Africa and Asia during the late 1960s and early 1970s. French businesses flourish in Australia with the popularity of French services and products. Le Courrier Australien was the first foreign-language newspaper in Australia, publishing in 1892. Printing ceased in 2011 but an online bilingual version was reintroduced in 2016.

Advertising was also commonly written in languages other than English to entice people living in Australia as well as being designed to attract people from overseas. The Library holds a collection of French-language postcards, including this one featuring an advertisement from a chocolate company. One of the men is reading a newspaper, and the Australian flag is shown at the top right corner. A Western Australian postage stamp featuring the image of a black swan is reproduced at the bottom left corner. The reverse of the card features text in French that provides general information about Australia and its geography, with a paragraph at the foot relating to the Aiguebelle chocolate company.

A postcard with a drawing of a man reading an Australian newspaper with a man and a woman sitting at a table behind him.

Chocolat d'Aiguebelle. (1880). La poste en Australie [picture] : [trade card depicting Australia]. [Paris] : Chocolat d'Aiguebelle http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-54977242

Activities:

  • Have students write an article about a mystery (real or imagined). Use this exercise to make students consider writing style and tone. Students will need to demonstrate a range of writing and grammatical styles and consider the tone of the article, the audience and the purpose of the article.
  • Discuss the ways different language newspapers might be affected by the delivery of information from the land of origin.
  • Explore the articles and content of the newspaper resources linked above.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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