Sunday History Photo / Au

Darwin Stubby

DARWIN'S most famous export the iconic Darwin Stubby celebrated its 50th birthday back in 2008.
The 2.25L Darwin Stubby was conceived by Carlton and United Brewery in 1958 to satisfy the hearty appetite of Territory beer drinkers, whose love of the amber fluid could not be confined to 750ml, the largest grog vessel at the time. It quickly became the drink of choice for thirsty locals and tourists alike who were quick to get on board.
Although the NT Draught Darwin Stubby has had many incarnations over the years, it continues to be a much sought-after product and sells around 24,000 bottles each year.
The Darwin Stubby gives us a presence around the world, everyone knows about it. No one else has anything that big - it's as big as the Territory and everyone mentions it wherever you go, It’s now sold largely as a tourist gimmick, but very successfully.
Although no longer brewed in the Territory, many old-time Darwin locals can remember the days when the old Bishop St site pumped out hangovers as big as the bottle - by the dozen.
Beer has not been brewed in the Territory since Carlton United made NT Draught. The brewery closed in the late 1980s, taking the iconic Darwin Stubby to Queensland.

Below is some history about beer and the brewers.

The oldest brewery still in operation is the Cascade Brewery, established in Tasmania in 1824.

Old Cascade Label

With exception of the family owned Coopers Brewery, all of the large Australian breweries are now owned by either the Foster's Group or Lion Nathan.

The first (official) brewer in Australia was John Boston who brewed a beverage from Indian corn bittered with cape gooseberry leaves.

By 1871 there were 126 breweries in Victoria alone which at the time had a population of only 800,000.

1824 – Peter Degraves starts the Cascade brewery in Tasmania. The brewery is still operating and is Australia’s oldest surviving brewery.
1835 – Tooth brewery is established in Sydney

Tooth

1859 The South Australian Brewing Company was founded . There were two breweries, one in the West End of the Adelaide city centre (producing "West End" beers), and the other at Thebarton on the banks of the River Torrens north-west of the city centre (producing "Southwark" beers , The West End brewery was closed between the wars, and the operations consolidated with the Southwark brewery operations at the Thebarton site.

West End Label

1837 – James Stokes establishes The Swan Brewery in central Perth, Australia . From 1879, it occupied riverside premises below Mount Eliza, This later became the Emu brewery.

Emu Brewery

1838 – Mr Moss establishes the first brewery in Melbourne.
1862 – Thomas Cooper establishes the Coopers Brewery. The brewery is still owned and operated by the Cooper family and is Australia’s largest independent brewery.
1864 – Carlton brewery opens in Melbourne
1881 - James Boag and his son James Boag II open the Esk Brewery (Aka Boag's Brewery) in Launceston.
1885 – Gambrinus brewery in Melbourne becomes the first brewery in Australia to brew Lager.
1886 – Fosters It was founded in Melbourne by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster of New York, who happened to own a refrigeration plant, which was necessary to brew beer in Australia's hot climate. They sold the brewery the following year and returned to the United States 1889 – Lager is first brewed in Queensland at the Castlemaine and Quinlan brewery.

Castlemaine Perkins brewery

Sorry if I missed your favorite drop of amber fluid.

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