The isolated community was almost entirely Italian in its founding year. However, as early as 1883, they were joined by the Irish family of John and Ann Flatley. In 1887, the Fleet family arrived from northern Scotland and by 1900, the Williams were settling in.

Demonstration Day at New Italy School 22 August 1910. Note the new iron roof and water tank.

After the school opened in 1885, they were Roman Catholic Italians, Irish Catholics, Presbyterian Scots, and a couple of aboriginal children, taught by a Frenchman. As the second generation of Italians learned English and grew older, intermarriage across ethnic and religious divides created a rich multicultural community. In 1898, the last names of the 232 residents included Tunstead, Duffy and Flynn.