#OnThisDay 3 April 1881 the first simultaneous census of Australia and the rest of the British Empire took place.
- The population of Australia was 2,250,194
- NSW was the second most populous state behind Victoria, with a population of 749,825
- Sydney had 224,939 inhabitants
Unfortunately no census records for 1881 have survived that record individual names. The records were destroyed in the Garden Palace Fire of 1882.
Source: State Library of New South Wales. Census of the British Empire 1881
