As Brillat-Savarin wrote, “The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they are fed” (Brillat-Savarin 1854, 25). Indeed, establishing reliable sources of food was critical for the survival of colonies, as early historical records demonstrate in Australia. Animal bones recovered from historical sites have been well-studied from colonies in the Americas, but remain understudied in Australia, and should be central to understanding early colonial anxieties around food security. As animal domesticates share a unique, close relationship with humans and are intricately connected with human activities, delineating this relationship contributes to understanding past behaviours, such as the responses of early colonists to a new suite of social and environmental conditions during initial periods of colonisation.