The Baptist work in Australia began in Sydney in 1831, over forty years after the British penal colony was established. The first preacher was John McKaeg. The first baptism was in Wolloomooloo Bay in 1832. It was not until 1835 that the first church was established in Hobart Town by Henry Dowling, a strict Calvinist. John Saunders, sent by the Baptist Missionary Society of England, formed a church in 1836. The first state Union was formed in Victoria in 1862. The national Baptist Union was founded in 1926 by representatives from existing state unions.
The Baptist Union of Australia is a member of the Asian Baptist Federation and the Baptist World Alliance. Ministry arms of the BUA include the Australian Baptist Missionary Society, Australian Baptist World Aid, Aboriginal and Islander Baptist Council of Australia, Crossover Australia, New Settlers' Baptist Association, and Northreach. The National Baptist is published as a quarterly promotional magazine. Headquarters are in Melbourne. The national work is divided among 7 state unions, which operate independently, with the national body functioning as an advisory council. In 1995, the Union was composed of 64,560 members in 785 churches.
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