Details
The first Chinese are believed to have crossed the Blue Mountains in 1855 on their way to the New South Wales goldrushes, to places like Hill End. The first reference to Chinese settlers in the area was in an article in the Blue Mountains Echo in 1891 about Ah Poy. They generally established themselves as market gardeners.
Most are believed to have left the area in the 1930s and 1940s when bigger market gardnening co-operatives began cornering the market. No Chinese names show up in any of the Blue Mountains cemetries.
However a number of Chinese families are known to have fled Sydney to the Blue Mountains in 1942 because they were concerned about Japanese invasion. These included the Mar family and also the families of C.P. Ting, S.C. Ting, C.C. Chen, D. Chia. The Mar family also had relatives who travelled further west as far as Tingha.
Sources used to compile this entry: Slade, Colin, 'Investigating the Chinese community', Locality: Bulletin of the Community History Program, vol. 4, no. 2, July-August, pp. 7-11; Personal communication with Colin Slade, July 2004.
Prepared by: Sophie Couchman, La Trobe University
Related Subjects
Published Resources
Journal Articles
- Slade, Colin, 'Investigating the Chinese community', Locality: Bulletin of the Community History Program, vol. 4, no. 2, July-August, pp. 7-11. Details
Images
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- Title
- Jimmy War Sing on his fruit and vegetable cart
- Type
- Photograph
- Date
- c. 1900 - c. 1902
- Place
- Australia - New South Wales - Blue Mountains - Katoomba
- Details
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- Title
- Lum Tock with three unidentified female friends and two unidentified male friends infront of waterfall
- Type
- Photograph
- Date
- c. 7 October 1918
- Place
- Australia - New South Wales - Blue Mountains - Katoomba
- Details
Created: 2 September 2004, Last modified: 7 November 2005
