There is a strong body of opinion that Australia‘s present technological achievement and poor attitudes to high technology development remain essentially ’colonial‘. This notion is a misconception. An overview study of some 100 inventors, technologists, and entrepreneurs indicates that vigorous attitudes to innovation prevailed in the Colonies in the nineteenth century and established for Australia some significant technological leads. Lessons from these attitudes both underline the continuing importance of the ’lone inventor’ and hold relevance for education, management, and technology policies today.