Bubonic plague register

An introduction to the Bubonic plague pandemic and records related to the Sydney outbreak in 1900–1908

Sydney had an outbreak of the Bubonic plague in the years 1900–1908. This outbreak and its effects on the people are recorded in the Register of Cases of Bubonic Plague, which is indexed and digitised on our website. Find out more about this record of the Black Death in Sydney.

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Archives behind the scenes - bubonic plague

Did you know there was an outbreak of plague, in Sydney, at The Rocks, in 1900?

Onlookers stand behind barriers watching the streets being cleaned with fire hoses. Policemen stand on the road in front of the crowds

Purging pestilence – plague!

The Bubonic Plague hit Sydney in January 1900. Spreading from the waterfront, the rats carried the plague throughout the city. Within eight months 303 cases were reported and 103 people were dead

Bubonic plague index 1900-1908

The Register of Cases of Bubonic Plague 1900-1908 records the names and residences of those suffering from the plague and their fate as to whether they died or recovered from this fearful disease