The Australian leather goods, of WW1, were of a high quality. The Australian supplied Army boots , and other leather goods, during the First World War were of a high quality and highly sort after and prized by those who owned them.

Australia being a large Primary producer of goods had a large supply of leather and relatively leather goods industry at the beginning of World War 1, and the quality of the goods supplied by the manufacturers of boots and other items was also generally high. The Australian Government issued tenders to supply the Australian Imperial Forces with boots, initially intending to accept only 20 contractors. The competition for these perceived lucrative contracts was expectedly high, and as a result the quality of the goods supplied was also equally high.

The quality of the boots supplied was indeed of a high standard, and even caused some friction and jealously between Australia and Britain at various levels. There was petty bickering between Government officials of both Nations as to which country produce the better boot, exhaustive test were carried out with no real conclusive proof as to who produced the better item. Not that it really mattered, as the Australian soldier was very happy with the boot supplied, and would not part with his boots if it could be helped. It was said that in France the brown Australian boots could fetch up to 10 times more trade items that any other country's boot.

The Australian army boots were made of a soft tan leather, with a relatively pliable sole. The laces were strips of leather, and the soles and heels were shod with a pattern of steel nails. The initial pattern of boot was altered slightly early in the War, the tongue was enlarged to make the boot more water-proof, this pattern of boot remained the standard service pattern until 1942.

The mark 'Australia', the date and a makers name were usually stamped into the leather of all Australian made leather items. On the boots these marks were usually on the instep of the underneath of the sole, although the makers details were usually at the top of the ankle. On the leggings the marks are normally at the top buckle, while on the 'butterfly'of the spurs, across the front.

Most leather items can still be found today in good condition, but the boots unfortunately are near impossible to locate because of their usefulness at the time.