Information

The Fairfield Wine and Distillery Co., owned by Italian immigrant Giovanni Pullè, opened in 1888 on Victoria Street, near the original Fairfield railway station. After working for the Queensland Survey Office for five years, Pullè set up an import-export business, which included the Fairfield distillery. During the early 1890s he and Sarah lived on Yeerongpilly (now Mearns) Street near the distillery. Their wine, brandy and rum won awards at the Ekka, but the distillery waste that flowed into local drains was a nuisance that blocked refuse pipes.

A large amount of stock was destroyed in the February 1893 flood and, after production ceased that year, the business was sold in 1894. After the floods and bank closures of 1893, Pullè moved his family to Sydney and later started a pasta-making business. Pullè became a leading advocate and for the Italian immigrant community, which was about 6,000 strong in Australia in 1906. He invested in Australia’s first two bilingual Italian newspapers, for which he was the chief editor, and worked to encourage further Italian immigration.

Citations

Queensland Post Office Directory 1892, p.259; Queenslander, 4 February 1888; Brisbane Courier, 4 October 1887, 11 July 1889, 22 August 1891, 11 January 1893, 6 November 1893, 11 May 1894.

Image Citations

Fairfield Wine and Distillery Co. advertisement for grape suppliers. The Queenslander, 18 February 1889.

Map References

QSA. QSA Series ID 2043 City of Brisbane and Suburbs Maps – A1A Series. 8 chains to the inch. Plan of the City of Brisbane and suburbs according to the original Crown Grants. 8 chains to the inch. Survey Office, Brisbane.. 634511