Bubonic Plague Outbreak
The arrival of bubonic plague in Sydney in 1900 tested the colony's public health system and transformed the way infectious diseases were managed. The outbreak led to sweeping quarantine measures, rat control programs, and sanitary reforms that shaped public health policy for decades.
An Attractive Naivety: Australia as a new nation in a complex world (Revised Edition)
An Attractive Naivety is an epic work of Australian historical fiction spanning the first half of the twentieth century. Through the lives of ordinary men and women, it traces the nation’s journey from Federation and plague to Depression, war, and uneasy peace. Interweaving fictional characters with real events, the novel explores the humour, hardship, courage and contradictions that shaped modern Australia.
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE. ACTION BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH. PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED.
Ashburton Thompson recommends precautions against plague in Sydney after outbreaks at Noumea and the Sandwich Islands
Dr Ashburton Thompson Interviewed
Dr. Ashburton Thompson reassured the public that there was no immediate cause for panic, explaining that bubonic plague was less contagious than commonly believed and that effective precautions were being taken. While he believed the disease would eventually reach Australia, he was confident that prompt public health measures could prevent it from becoming established in Sydney.
Cleansing of the streets in The Rocks
Firemen cleansing the streets, washing arsenic solution into the sewers (and into Sydney Harbour).
Wash and Pray - The Bulletin
Cartoon from the Bulletin - Wash and Pray