06/09/2026
Illawarraâs first known pub was in the home of George Tate Senior at Spring Hill, just south of Wollongong in 1829. His farmhouse was to the south west of the small port of Wollongong, overlooking Tom Thumb Lagoon, along the road to the Illawarra Stockade at Red Point, Port Kembla.
A cattle breeder and farmer, Tateâs customers included soldiers of the 39th Regiment, who had staff of a lieutenant, sergeant, corporal and 10 privates. Sharing farming and innkeeping occupations, Tateâs best income, no doubt, came from the hard drinking timber-cutters.
George Tate was born in the parish of Bowden, Scotland about 1794 immigrating to Australia with his wife Elizabeth in 1819. When he arrived in Australia he initially became the overseer on Surveyor John Oxleyâs farm âKirkhamâ at Camden NSW.
Tate received a grant of 500 acres at Springhill, âBerkeley Valeâ, near Wollongong, on 22 June, 1824, on which he later opened his inn, becoming the first recognised Illawarra publican. He also carried on cedar getting and cattle breeding, principally raising bullocks for hauling timber.
Tateâs wife Elizabeth died in January 1827 aged 37 and was buried on the Spring Hill property. After Elizabethâs death he re-married Mary Evans in Sydney on 28 August 1828.
Tateâs new wife Mary, whose sister (Ann Hill) at the time hosted the Rose and Crown in Castlereagh Street, Sydney, likely persuaded him to establish an inn on Spring Hill in 1829.
The unlicensed inn was known as Spring Hill House, and was a favourite with timber-getters, who with their bullock drays frequently passed Tateâs home to and from the âIllawarra Long Brushâ at Jamberoo - the home of the valuable red cedar.
Unlock the rich, untold history of the Illawarra regionâs early watering holes with a subscription to Illawarra Pubs. For just $4 a year, youâll dive deep into the social and commercial fabric of 19th-century NSW through a meticulously researched, multi-part historical series.
What You Get Today:
⢠Instant Access to Part One (1820â1830): Over 4,000 words of engaging history paired with historical illustrations documenting the earliest days of the region's liquor industry.
Your 12-Month Subscription Also Includes:
⢠Ongoing Releases: Exclusive access to the remaining seven chapters rolling out across the year:
⢠Part Two: 1830 â 1840
⢠Part Three: 1840 â 1850
⢠Part Four: 1850 â 1860
⢠Part Five: 1860 â 1870
⢠Part Six: 1870 â 1880
⢠Part Seven: 1880 â 1890
⢠Part Eight: 1890 â 1900
⢠The Complete Directory: A comprehensive master list of every 19th-century pub that traded in the Illawarra, complete with the names of their licensees and publicans.
To find out how to subscribe to Illawarra Pubs visit The Time Gents website:
https://timegents.com/2026/08/31/illawarra-pubs-a-history-of-pubs-and-the-liquor-industry-in-the-illawarra-region-of-nsw/
Picture: The only known photograph of Illawarraâs first pub, Spring Hill House, taken shortly before its demolition about 1940. Picture: Wollongong City Libraries.
