The establishment of the India-Australia trade and the influence of India on the Australian colonies in the early nineteenth century

Speaker: Dr Charmaine O’Brien, author, culinary historian, and educator whose work explores the rich intersections of food, culture, and identity. Authored books like The Penguin Food Guide to India, The Colonial Kitchen: Australia 1788-1901, Eating the Present: Tasting the Future: exploring India through her changing food.

Special Invitee: Gemma Haines, Counsellor Strategic Communications & Public Diplomacy, Australian High Commission New Delhi

Moderator: Gunjan Goela, Chef, author and a food consultant

This talk explores the early foundations of India–Australia trade, beginning with a famine-driven exchange in 1791 and evolving into a dynamic commercial relationship in the nineteenth century. It examines how trade with Calcutta enabled colonial survival, generated wealth, and fostered enterprise, while also tracing India’s cultural influence on settler life, including food, labour, and domestic practices.