First Refrigerated Shipment from Australia
Poet involved
What happened
In 1880, the first successful refrigerated shipment of meat from Australia to the United Kingdom was completed, a landmark achievement for the Australian economy. The ability to ship frozen mutton and beef to the other side of the world transformed Australia into a major exporter of meat, creating a new industry and linking the Australian economy to the British market. This successful voyage proved that even the longest sea routes could be overcome by refrigeration, further shrinking the world for food producers.
Literary impact
The development of the Australian frozen meat trade is a story of colonial enterprise and technological ambition that has been explored in Australian literature. The poets of the Australian bush, like Henry Lawson and A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson, wrote of a country that was defined by its vast distances and its connection to the British Empire. The refrigerated meat ship, carrying the produce of the Australian outback to the tables of London, is a symbol of that connection, a link between the colonial periphery and the imperial center.
Source: Wikipedia
