The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, Volume 1 Number 1

The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. The first newspaper printed in Australia, and one of the earliest pieces of printing in the colony. This item was part of the first newspaper in Australia on the first day it was printed. Furthermore, it was in the first issue of the publication on that day.

It seems that issues from the first year of publication are held only in the State Library of New South Wales in Australia, and otherwise in the British Library and the Public Record Office, London. The two sets in the National library begin in 1804. The present set contains the first two and two later numbers, altogether four of the first seven issues of this ephemeral publication.

George Howe, Australia’s first printer, sometimes referred to as Sydney’s Caxton, had been appointed Government printer at the beginning of 1802; publication of the ‘Sydney Gazette’ was authorised by Governor King, but although officially sanctioned, it was published by Howe at his own risk and expense. The first number appeared on the 5th March 1803; publication was weekly, and contributions were received in two boxes, in Sydney and Parramatta. The expenses of the Gazette were met by the receipts from advertisements and by the sale at 6d. per copy.

Howe was editor, under the censorship of the secretary to the governor, who examined all proofs. He met with many difficulties in the production. He had to make his own ink and was frequently troubled with the shortage of paper (Historical Records of Australia, IV, pp. 662-3). Some sixteen years later, in his Christmas issue of 1819, Howe reminisced about the early history of his newspaper “he bought the paper at a very dear price, he distributed his type, he invented and obtained new matter, without any auxiliary assistance; he worked the paper off at press; and he afterwards carried it out, that is to say, delivered it to Sydney subscribers. His subscribers at one period were under 350…”. The importance of the Sydney Gazette as a source of Australian history cannot be overstated.