1789 Sydney smallpox outbreak

In April 1789, Sydney, Australia, experienced one of its most violent outbreaks of smallpox when the disease swept through Aboriginal and colonial Australians on the coast.

[1][2] The outbreak began in early March with the first cases appearing in tribes living near Port Jackson.

[3] Aboriginal communities had no preexisting immunity to smallpox, and suffered mortality rates of around 70%.

[4] Aboriginal tribes on Arnhem Land first contracted smallpox when they made infectious contact with fishermen from southeast Asia.

[5][6] Governor Arthur Philip estimated that around half of the Aboriginal population around Sydney harbor died in the outbreak.