‘Merchants of the Pacific: The Rise and Fall of Burns Philp’ explores the history of what was once one of Australia’s largest and most successful companies.
Founded in Queensland 150 years ago by Scottish businessmen James Burns and Robert Philp, Burns Philp began as a merchant and shipping business, transporting passengers and cargo between Sydney and Townsville. By the late 1800s the company was at the forefront of opening up trade with Australia’s Pacific and Southeast Asian neighbours, including New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
During the 1900s Burns Philp became one of Australia’s largest retailers and food manufacturers, with an extensive portfolio of department and hardware stores to its name as well as several globally recognised brands including Goodman Fielder, Uncle Toby’s, and BBC Hardware.
In the early 2000s the company found itself in deep financial trouble, and after 150 years in business, the acquisition of Burns Philp by the Rank Group marked the end of a once-dominant colonial-era trading powerhouse.
A variety of archival records were used in the creation of this exhibition in addition to published histories, particularly by Ken Buckman and Kris Klugman. These include The History of Burns Philp: The Australian Company in the South Pacific, South Pacific Focus: A Record in Words and Photographs of Burns Philp at Work, and The Australian Presence in the Pacific: Burns Philp 1914-1946, all by Buckman and Klugman, and The Main Line Fleet of Burns Philp by Bruce Wilkinson and Ross Willson.
