14th September 1828

On this day, 14th September 1828, the Bank of Australia was robbed by Thomas Turner and his friends. ^{1 2 3}

When the Bank of Australia was robbed, Allan Cunningham was in Queensland. He had returned from his excursions beyond Morton Bay, staying within the Brisbane settlement, He would have been collecting specimens and completing his paperwork while waiting to return to Sydney six weeks later, on 29th October 1828 on the Isabella.

While he was in Brisbane it’s possible that he heard the news about the robbery, and when he finally caught up with his friends and acquaintences in Parramatta and Sydney Town, it is probable that he heard some very despairing stories.

1. Source: Carol Baxter’s Breaking the Bank.[↩]
2. Read more about the robbery: 1828 ‘EXTENSIVE ROBBERY AT THE BANK OF AUSTRALIA.’, The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 – 1842), 17 September, p. 2. , viewed 15 Mar 2020[↩]
3. Source: The Dictionary of Sydney[↩]