History

Origins

According to historical records, the suburb name is derived from the first contact between Europeans and the traditional owners of the land, the Wangal Clan. The encounter took place on 5 February 1788, when Captain John Hunter and William Bradley, who led the first major expedition westward along the Parramatta River, landed for breakfast. In his journal, Bradley recorded how they established friendly contact with the group at Breakfast Point :

We landed to cook breakfast on the opposite shore to them (Breakfast Pt.). We made signs to them to come over and waved green boughs. Soon after which 7 of them came over in 2 canoes and landed near our boats. They left their spears in the canoes and came to us. We tied beads etc. about them and left them our fire to dress their muscles which they went about as soon as our boats put off.

Hunter recorded that as they approached, he went up to them and held up both his hands to show he was unarmed, two officers advanced in the same manner, and they met and shook hands. Thus is recorded the first friendly handshake with the natives at Breakfast Point.

Mortlake Gas Works

Much of the area at Breakfast Point was occupied by the Mortlake Gas Works of the Australian Gaslight Company (AGL). AGL began developing the site from 1883. The Mortlake Gasworks site offered river access for colliers to bring coal and virtually unlimited space for expansion. The gas works remained in operation until the 1990s when in 1998 AGL, after a selected tender process, selected Rosecorp Pty. Ltd. to progressively acquire and develop the Mortlake site.