When Australia became a nation in 1900 the new country was already embroiled in war. For some time, the southern tip of Africa had been shared between British colonies and independent republics of Dutch–Afrikaner settlers, known as Boers.
Few foods have had the impact on the tastes of Australian society as Kraft cheese and Vegemite – and they were both manufactured in what is now Southbank at the Kraft factory in Riverside Drive.