Johann and Elizabetha Iffland
| Town/City | Bungendore, NSW |
|---|---|
| First name | Johann and Elizabetha |
| Last name | Iffland |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| Date of Birth | 1800s |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1848 |
| Submitted by | Katrina Iffland |
Story
Many history books imply that it was the English settlers who established our Australian farming traditions in this country. In fact, many different nationalities helped carve out our rural history, and a significant and largely unrecognised contributor to the story was the Germans.
My antecedents, Johann and Elizabetha Iffland were among the first German immigrants to arrive in Australia to help establish a wine industry in the fledgling colony. They were close relatives of the famous German playright, August Wilhelm Iffland.
The Iffland family arrived in 1849 on the bounty ship Beulah. Johann – a cooper by trade – came with his wife, Elizabetha, son Conrad Cornelius, and daughters Eva, Anna Maria and Clara. They had come from Eltville – a mediaeval village on the banks of the Rhine in south-east Germany. It is understood they had been lured to Australia by Wilhem Kirchner, who had travelled to the wine regions of Germany specifically to bring knowledgable vignerons to NSW.
When the Ifflands arrived, they were sponsored by the family of the famous NSW explorer William Lawson at his farm near Prospect. Soon after, the family expanded, with some of the children heading to the Hill End goldfields. The family maintains strong and well-respected connections in rural Australia to this day; particularly in the central west of NSW.