The history of New Italy, New South Wales dates back to 1882. The historic nature of the New Italy settlement in the Richmond Valley Council in New South Wales, Australia, has been recognised with the listing of much of the settlement on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 9 August 2002.
History
The New Italy settlement covers an area of 1,200 acres and represents an unusual phase of settlement in New South Wales. It is the only known settlement of its type in New South Wales.
On 7 April 1881, 217 Italians arrived in Sydney. They had sailed from Venice, Italy for New Ireland, north east of New Guinea, to set up a new colony. The expedition had been organised by the Marquis de Ray Charles Marie du Breil, a young Frenchman of noble descent who was unhappy with the changes that the French Revolution had made to his position. In 1879 he announced that a colony would be established to the north east of Australia, namely East New Guinea, New Britain and New Ireland to be known as La Nouvelle France, or Port Breton. Word of the venture spread to North Italy, de Rays having placed an agent to sell the venture in Milan. To those living close to starvation and seeing only a grim future for their children in a climate of economic, social and political hardship, this venture was the opportunity for a new life. Despite a decree by the French government forbidding emigration agencies to recruitm for the venture and the Royal Investigation Bureau in Milan issuing a direction that no passport be issued to any Italian planning to participate in the scheme fifty families were determined to try their luck and Italians had begun arriving in Barcelona, the point of departure, in April 1880. Their voyage is now known as the De Rays Expedition.