Rabbits in Australia
Videos
European rabbits were first introduced to Australia in the 18th century with the First Fleet, and later became widespread, because of Thomas Austin. Such wild rabbit populations are a serious mammalia
A European rabbit in Tasmania
Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, rabbit shooting at Barwon Park, Victoria in the 1860s
A load of rabbit skins, Northern Tablelands, New South Wales
The erosion of a gully in South Australia caused by rabbits overgrazing
Thomas Austin (pastoralist)
Videos
Thomas Austin was an English settler in Australia who is generally noted for the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859. While there were earlier transports of domestic Rabbits to Australia as
Rabbits in Australia
…rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were first introduced to Australia in the 18th century with the First Fleet, and later became widespread, because of Thomas Austin. Such wild rabbit populations are a serious mammalian pest and invasive species in Australia causing millions of dollars' worth of damage to crops…
An 1888 illustration of Austin
Elizabeth Phillips Harding, wife of Thomas Austin