The severe drought in Australia from 1808 to 1810 significantly impacted early colonial settlement in New South Wales. Early records document the challenges faced by settlers, including food shortages and agricultural failures. This drought underscored the vulnerability of colonial agriculture to climatic conditions and influenced settlement patterns and land use in the region.

The drought in Australia from 1808 to 1810 shaped early Australian settler poetry, which often depicted the harshness of the land. Poets like John Thompson captured the struggles of survival and the relationship between humans and the environment in their works.