British Emigration to Australia
The majority of modern-day Australians can trace at least part of their lineage back to the British Isles. European settlement of Australia began in 1788 with the arrival of the “First Fleet,” and the story of migration to Australia through the next 150 years has been dominated by the arrivals from the “old country.” Although the words “transportation” and “convicts” have become synonymous with Australian history, the reality is that most Australians descended from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland will find that their ancestors actually came of their own free will.
The history of Australian immigration is a fascinating one, and fortunately, the rapid growth of the Internet has allowed many to begin looking into where exactly great-grandfather Jones came from. Given that the British have often had a near obsession with record-keeping, it is hardly surprising that there are many resources that can be were created by the British colonists that can be used to track an immigrant to Australia back to his or her place of birth. Here are just a few of the resources that can be utilized to begin your Australian research:
Immigration and Emigration Records
Although few departure lists survive in the British Isles prior to 1890, arrival records at Australian ports are extensive from the beginning of colonization.
- Australia’s First Fleet (1788)
- Australia’s Second Fleet (1790)
- Australia’s Third Fleet (1791)
- Assisted Immigrants Arriving in Sydney, Newcastle, Moreton Bay and Port Phillip(New South Wales State Records)
- 1852-1857 Highlands and Islands Emigration Society Passenger Lists (Scottish Archive Network)
- South Australian Passenger Lists 1803-1850
- Ireland-Australia Transportation Records, 1791-1853 (The National Archives of Ireland)
- Lincolnshire Convicts Transported to Australia, Gibraltar and Bermuda(Lincolnshire Archives)
- Index to Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists to Victoria 1852-1923 (Government of Victoria)
- Indexes to Convict Records (New South Wales Government)
- Australia List of Convicts with Particulars, 1788-1842 $
- Convict Transportation Registers – Other Fleets & Ships 1791-1868 $
Vital Records
Each Australian state has its own system of civil registration, with Tasmania starting as early as 1838. Many state-wide indexes have been compiled based on civil registration records along with other forms of vital records:
- Australian Vital Records Index [New South Wales (1788–1888), Tasmania (1803–1899), Victoria (1837–1888), and Western Australia (1841–1905)]
- New South Wales Registry of Births Birth (1788-1905), Marriages (1788-1955), Deaths (1788-1975)
The Western Australia Pioneers Index, the Tasmanian Pioneers Index, the Victorian Pioneers Index, and vital records indexes for South Australia are all available at the Family History Library. Please click here for an estimate to search these resources.
Census Records
Australia-wide censuses did not begin until 1881, and many of the early returns were destroyed. However, there are still some excellent census and census-substitute resources available:
- 1828 New South Wales Census $
- 1841 Census of New South Wales (New South Wales Government)
- Australian Electoral Rolls 1901-1936 $
