Due to scheduled maintenance, the National Library’s online services will be unavailable between 8pm Friday 29 November and 11am Saturday 30 November. Find out more.
Image
The convicts, soldiers and settlers who came to Australia to set up an outpost of the British Empire brought with them the sporting culture of eighteenth-century Britain. As the colonial settlements grew, opportunities for leisure and sport increased.
Hunting, horseracing, cricket, rowing and boxing were just some of the British sports which found a new home in Australia. These pastimes became a focus of colonial life, and the athletes who excelled at them quickly became some of the most celebrated personalities in colonial society.
