The Australian Sculling Championship (Professional) Title was first recognised in the early 1850s. George Mulhall was the first champion due to his dominance in heavy boats. From 1858 when racing was held on the Parramatta River

Parramatta River

The Parramatta River is a waterway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson, along with the smaller Lane Cove and Duck Rivers....

 Richard Green became the Champion. He was later the first international contestant for the World Sculling Championship and that race was held on the Thames in 1863. Thus began a long association of Australian Champions who were either contestants in, or actual holders of, the World Title.

From 1866 William Hickey was the Champion, a position he held until being disposed by Michael Rush (rower)

Michael Rush (rower)

Michael Rush was an Irish Australian sculler noted for his one-on-one competitions against champion opponents, which drew vast crowds of spectators.-Youth and Early Times:...

 in 1873. In turn the title was held by Edward Trickett

Edward Trickett

Edward "Ned" Trickett was an Australian rower. He was the first Australian to be recognised as a world champion in any sport, after winning the World Sculling Championship in 1876, a title he held until 1880, when he was beaten by Canadian Ned Hanlan.Trickett was born at Greenwich, on the Lane...

 and Elias C. Laycock

Elias C. Laycock

Elias Connell Laycock was an Australian competitive rower who three times tried to become the World Sculling Champion..-Early life:...

. Trickett won the World Title in 1876, and held it until 1880, and from then on any Australian holders of that title were generally considered to be the Australian Champion as well. These people were;

Date (DMY)	Winner	Comment
16-8-1884	Bill Beach Bill Beach William Beach was a professional Australian sculler. He was unbeaten as World Sculling Champion from 1884 to 1887.Born on 6 September 1850 at Chertsey, Surrey, England, to Alexander Beach, blacksmith, and his wife Mary, née Gibbons...
11-2-1888	Peter Kemp (rower) Peter Kemp (rower) Peter Kemp was one of seven Australians who each won the World Sculling Championship between 1876 and 1907.He was born on the banks of the Hawkesbury River near Windsor, New South Wales, on 15 November 1853. As a boy growing up he taught himself to row...
27-10-1888	Henry Ernest Searle Henry Ernest Searle Henry Ernest Searle , was a professional Australian sculler, who was World Champion from 1888 until his premature death from typhoid in 1889....	Died 1889
25-4-1890	Peter Kemp (rower) Peter Kemp (rower) Peter Kemp was one of seven Australians who each won the World Sculling Championship between 1876 and 1907.He was born on the banks of the Hawkesbury River near Windsor, New South Wales, on 15 November 1853. As a boy growing up he taught himself to row...
15-12-1890	John McLean (rower) John McLean (rower) John McLean was one of seven Australians who each won the World Sculling Championship between 1876 and 1907. He was born at Shoalhaven, New South Wales, on the 17 September 1859.-Early Sculling:...
28-04-1891	Jim Stanbury	Held until 1896
7-9-1901	George Towns (rower) George Towns (rower) George Towns was the Australian Single Sculls World Champion from 1901 to 1905 and 1906 to 1907. He was the last of the seven Australian Champions who between them held the title almost uninterrupted from 1876 to 1907.-Early Sculling:...

For the rest of the time the Title was in existence it became a more identifiable entity mostly, but not totally, separated from the World Title. The holders were;

Date	Champion	Comment
1903	Richard Tresidder
1908	Ben Thououghgood
1909	Harry Pearce
1913	Alf Felton Alf Felton Alfred D Felton, known as “Alf”, was the first Australian after World War I to win the professional World Sculling Championship. Before the war seven other Australians had held the title.- Life and Racing:...	Later World Champion
1913	Jim Paddon Jim Paddon James Paddon, known as “Jim”, was the second Australian after World War I to win the professional World Sculling Championship. Before the war seven other Australians had held the title....	Later World Champion
1926	Alfred Burns
1937	Evans Paddon	Later World Champion
1949	James Saul	Later World Champion
1950	Robert Kemp
1951	James Saul	again
1952	Robert Kemp	again
1952	Evans Fischer	Later World Champion
1953	James Skinner

Only the holders are listed here but there were a much greater number of contests as matches were run on the challenge system. One man would challenge the holder for the title and for money.

As with the world Title there was less interest in the Australian Tile after the Second World War. In general, professional sculling declined in popularity and eventually the Title lapsed as scullers and the public became less interested in such races. Amateur honours such as Olympic selection were much more attractive.

References;

• “Sculling and Skulduggery” by Stuart Ripley, Australia, 2009.
• World rowing history - professional racing