Shipping and Arrivals
Information on Passenger lists can be hard to obtain over the net.
The following websites may bring results but not all shipping lists are available.
New! New! New!
Passengers in History - South Australia 1836 - 1961
Passengers in History brings together two wonderful resources: A passengers data base developed by the SA Maritime Museum, A list of ships’ logs and diaries, titled Log of Logs.
The passengers data base was produced by staff and volunteers at the South Australian Maritime Museum over 20 years. It includes entries for 328,000 passengers and 20,000 voyages to South Australia between 1836 and 1961. Ian Nicholson produced three volumes of Log of Logs between 1988 and 1998. His data base lists logs, letters and diaries of voyages to Australia. Most, he researched himself but many were crowd-sourced from volunteers corresponding with him by mail, complete with stamps and envelopes. A number of volunteers have helped digitise the Log of Logs, but particular thanks go to Lesley Dunstan for her persistent dedication to this task.
Australia & New Zealand Passenger Lists
This site is designed to help family historians locate passenger lists for migrant ships to Australia/New Zealand and hence the entries relating to their studies.
The entries are listed by alphabetical order of ship's name regardless of the arrival port.
Australia's First Fleet
Capt. Arthur Phillip, R.N. was commissioned as the first Governor of New South Wales. He set sail on May 13th, 1787 from Portsmouth with 11 vessels. He arrived in N.S.W. with 717 convicts of whom 180 were women, guarded by 191 marines under 19 officers.
Australia's Second Fleet
A second fleet of six ships left England - Guardian, Justinian, Lady Juliana, Surprize, Neptune, Scarborough. The Guardian struck ice, and was unable to complete the voyage. She was stocked with provisions. Only 48 people died in the first group of ships, but this time 278 died during the voyage. This time transporting the convicts was in the hands of private contractors.
Australia's Third Fleet
The third fleet of 11 ships arrived in 1791, with over 2000 convicts. The newspaper report states that 194 male convicts and 4 female convicts died during the voyage, and that though conditions on board ship weren't as "diabolical" as the previous year, they were still outrageous.
Australian Immigrant Ships
"Frederick" 1827 from Portsmouth to Newcastle. Full passenger list.
"Harbinger" 1848/9 from Plymouth to Sydney. Full passenger list.
"Hero of Malown" 1841 from London to Sydney. Full passenger list.
"Java" 1852/3 from Plymouth to Sydney. Full passenger list.
Diary of Henry Knight
"Kate" 1849 from England to Sydney. Full passenger list with some extra genealogical details on 31 of the 338 assisted passengers.
"Mary Ridgeway" 1840 from Adelaide to Sydney. Full passenger list - 7 convicts who had been tried in Adelaide in March 1840 and sentenced to transportation to NSW.
"Parland" 1838 from Londonderry to Sydney. Full passenger list and disposal of Immigrants.
"Parland" 1838 - Surgeon's Report The report on the voyage by the RN Surgeon assigned to look after and take charge of the passengers.
"Parland" 1849 from London itself to Sydney. Full passenger list . On this voyage, the ship mainly carried German immigrants to NSW.
"Seppings" 1840 from Calcutta and Port Phillip (Melbourne) to Sydney. A passenger list (very short) and convict indent for the 7 adult passengers and 23 convicts on board this cargo vessel.
"Susan" 1838/9 from Londonderry to Sydney. A letter by James Dempsey, describing conditions on board what would have been a very similar voyage to the Parland above.
"Wilson Kennedy" 1852 from Plymouth to Sydney. Full passenger list and disposal list for 20 of the 481 assisted passengers.
Australian Passenger Lists
PASSENGER LISTS UK TO AUSTRALIA 1910
(Of the many voyages from UK in 1910, four are shown below - Bremen, Cornwall, Miltiades and Commonwealth. Just 700 of the 30,000 names on the 1910 database)
Australian Shipping Arrivals & Departures, 1788 - 1967
Details of Ships coming to Australia.
Passenger and crew lists 1788 - 1968
Search by letter of the surname
Bounty Schemes
The first of the assisted migration schemes began in 1832 when eight single women and eight mechanics and their families left England aboard the "Marianne". Each single woman received a bounty of £8 and each mechanic was advanced £20 against his future wages. From 1832 to 1835, 3074 people received assistance at a cost to the colony of £31,028-6-9. They were selected and ships chartered for them by Emigration Commissioners in the United Kingdom, and during the voyage they were in the charge of the ship's master. In Sydney, emigration was administered by the Colonial Treasurer, Collector of Internal Revenue (and, for a short time) the Superintendent of Emigrants and the Immigration Board.
Convict women into NSW on Ships arriving from England and Ireland 1788-1828
Shows the dates of each voyage, the port of arrival and the number of male and female convicts landed at each port. Discrepancies between the number who embarked and the number who arrived were often due to deaths on board, transfers to other ships en route, or landing at other ports.
Convict Ships to NSW 1788-1800
Convict Ships to NSW 1801-1849
Ellis Island - port of New York (for those ancestors who came via the USA)
Search enging facility - enter surname in second box.
Family Colonization Loan Society - Emigration Scheme 1851
Persons, therefore, in Port Phillip, who wish to get out to this country, from England, Ireland or Scotland, their sons or daughters, fathers or mothers, brothers or sisters, or other near relatives; or husbands who have been necessitated to leave their wives and children behind, and may be now anxious to get them out, are informed that they and their relatives at home will be aided and advised by this society in their mutual exertions to be re-united.
First Fleet Fellowship
The First Fleet Fellowship Victoria Inc. is an historical society formed in 1984 to provide an association for all those people who have ancestors who arrived in Australia in 1788 aboard one of the ships of the First Fleet.
Government Immigration Scheme - 1856
Persons wishing to bring their relatives and friends from the United Kingdom to Victoria, can secure passages for them in vessels chartered by Her Majesty's Government on the following conditions.
Government Immigration Scheme - 1858
His Excellency the Governer in Council has been pleased to direct,that from the first day of April next,ensuing,the Immigration Remittance Regulations of 1st August 1856, and all alterations subsequently promulgated up to the present date, shall be cancelled,together with all rules made in pursuance of these regulations,and that in lieu thereof the following Revised Regulations be adopted and published for the information of persons desirous of securing passages for their relatives and friends from the United Kingdom to Victoria.
Immigration to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)
If your ancestor wasn't a convict, it is likely that he or she was an immigrant of some sort. The following pages may help you in finding how your ancestor arrived in Tasmania.
Irish Transportation Records Database
The National Archives of Ireland holds a wide range of records relating to the transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia covering the period 1788 to 1868. In some cases these include records of members of convicts' families transported as free settlers.
Highland and Islands Emigration Scheme
It must be remembered that all of the Emigrants assisted by the HIES were travelling under the scheme laid down by "Her Majesty's Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners" who charted the HIES ships and in most cases selected the emigrants. Mr Chant, the emigration officer mentioned in HIES records was an employee of the Australian Land Commissioners. They received their funds from the Colonial Government selling Crown Land in Australia.
Highland and Islands Emigration Scheme - Scottish Archives site
The Highland and Island Emigration Society was set up by private subscription to alleviate destitution in the Highlands by promoting and assisting the emigration of Highlanders to Australia. Their passenger lists for the years 1852-1857 have survived and are organised by ship and by family and record the name, age and residence of each emigrant (HD4/5) as well as occasional notes on their health and situation. This is one of the few sources for emigration held by the National Archives of Scotland. To find out more about sources for Emigration held by Scottish archives, go to the Knowledge Base.
You can now access the index to the register online. Fill in the fields for a simple name search, or follow the links to browse the database, search by freetext, or try a more advanced search.
Launceston Immigration Aid Society 1855 - 1862
In November 1853, the Reverend Benjamin Drake was invited from Victoria to Van Diemen’s Land to establish an Independent Ministry at the Don. Arriving in Launceston, Drake was to meet up with fellow Congregationalist, John West, and it was that meeting which lead to the formation of the Launceston Immigration Aid Society - the Society which introduced, as immigrants, the families and individuals listed in this book.
Lighthouses of Australia
The site includes comprehensive lists of lighthouses in each state, with photos, technical data, history, access details, links to other lighthouse organisations, museums, resources and other information.
Mariners & Ships in Australian Waters (includes passengers)
Masters, crew, a stowaway or two; passengers, cabin, saloon and steerage; births at sea, deaths at sea; deserters; vessels with one crew and one passenger and those with 70 crew and hundreds of passengers; simple single sail boats, barques, brigs, large steam ships; whaling voyages, regular coastal passenger trips, voyages from other Australian ports, London, San Francisco, China and other exotic ports - you will find them all here.
Mariners Index World Wide
The following is an index to references for mariners and seamen worldwide,mentioned in colonial Australian newspapers, pre 1900. Search by Surname.
National Archives of Australia
Search for passengers arriving in Fremantle, Western Australia, by ship between January 1926 and 1947.
Log on as a Guest then click on Passenger Search in the top right hand corner. Enter Surname and press search.
New South Wales State Records Immigrantion & Shipping Indexes
Miscellaneous Immigrants 1828-43
This index contains the names of some passengers who paid their own fare and some assisted immigrants.
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Unassisted Immigrants 1842-55
This index covers free or unassisted passengers arriving in NSW.
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Unassisted passenger and crew arrivals, 1854-1900
Available at the Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters website.
Covering Shipping Inward lists from the Shipping Master's Office, lists for the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s are almost complete, 1880s and 1890s to follow. Searchable by person's name, vessel name, and date; includes transcribed passenger lists and links to scans of the original lists.
Ships' Musters, 1816-25
Available at the Society of Australian Genealogists
This series - NRS 1289 - lists both passengers and crew departing from Sydney.
Vessels Arrived in Sydney, 1837-1925
This index covers vessels arrived in Sydney only. It records the name and date of arrival and in some cases type of vessel. If you know the name of a ship then this Index can be consulted to check the date of arrival.
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Passenger list of the AGINCOURT (to Sydney in 1848)
The Agincourt landed her passengers at Port Jackson, Australia on Saturday 7 October, 1848. Some of the place names are misspelt on the original list but are easily recognised.
Passenger list of the BROOMIELAW (to Tas in 1859)
Into Launceston Tasmania Arrived 26th November 1859
Passenger list of the CHATHAM (to Tas in 1855)
Sailed from London 10th November 1854 arrived Hobart Town 19th February 1855
Passenger list of the EARL OF CHARLEMONT (wrecked off Barwon Heads in 1853) The Earl of Charlemont sailed from Liverpool on 13th March, 1853 with 366 passengers plus crew. The Captain was William Gardner - his first port of call in Australia was to be Port Phillip Bay before taking the majority of his passengers to Sydney.
Passenger list of the EMIGRANT (to Moreton Bay in 1850) Voyage of the Barque "EMIGRANT" from Plymouth to Moreton Bay, Australian arrived 8 August 1850
Passenger list of the EMIGRANT (to Melbourne in 1853)
Sailed from Sunderland 10 September 1852; arrived Melbourne 3 January 1853.
Passenger list of the FAIRLIE (to Sydney in 1848)
The Fairlie departed from Plymouth on 30 April 1848 and arrived at Sydney on 7 August 1848. Some of the place names are misspelt on the original list but are easily recognised
Passenger list of the HARPLEY (to Adelaide in 1848)
List of Emigrants from Calais who have been accepted for the Harpley to sail on 1st May 1848 for South Australia.
Passenger list of the HOOGHLY (to Adelaide in 1846)The Hooghly left Plymouth 3 July 1846 and passengers disembarked in Adelaide South Australia Saturday 24 Oct 1846. The official passenger list appears to have been lost. Below is an extract from The Register newspaper of Wednesday 28 Oct 1846 concerning the arrival of this vessel as well as the passenger list published elsewhere in the same paper. This is of interest because it clearly states the bulk of the Hooghly passengers have been brought out by the English Mining Company to work as miners, labourers and domestic servants. Other records suggest the company was actually the Australian Mining Company, head office London.
Ship INDIAN lost at sea 1841
The barque INDIA sailed from Greenock Scotland on June 4th 1841 carrying 193 bounty immigrants and crew bound for the Australian colony of Port Phillip. On the 19th July, six weeks into the voyage and being some 200 miles from land and 1200 miles from Rio de Janeiro, the ship caught fire and sank. 17 Souls perished in the disaster with the remainder being rescued by the crew of the ROLAND - a French whaling vessel.
The survivors were conveyed to Rio de Janeiro where the British Government hired another ship the GRINDLAY to transport them to Port Phillip where they arrived on October 22, some four and a half months after leaving Scotland. Newspaper reports of the day provided a graphic description of the tragedy and the miraculous rescue of almost all those on board the INDIA.
Passenger list of the INDIAN (to Launceston in 1843)
Voyage of the Brig "INDIAN" from London to Launceston, Tasmania arriving Launceston 1 January 1844
Passenger list of the LIZZIE WEBBER (to Melbourne in 1852)Sailed from Sunderland 31 July 1852; arrived Melbourne 4 December 1852.
Passenger list of the MAITLAND (to Sydney in 1838)
It is recorded that the "Maitland" made other voyages, but these were apparently all as a convict carrier, up until 1854, to destinations including Sydney (1840), Norfolk Island (1843), Hobart (1846) Port Phillip (1849) and Van Dieman's Land (1854).
Passenger list of the NAVARINO (to Adelaide in 1848)Arrival of the "Navarino", Adelaide, South Australia, 10 November 1848. Extracted from - "The South
Australian Register". Saturday, November 11, 1848. Copy held at Mortlock Library, Adelaide, SA.
Passenger list ( Women) of the PRINCESS ROYAL (to Tas in 1832)
Sailed from London England With Free Women passengers Arrived Tasmania 6 September 1832
Passenger list of the ROYAL SAXON (to Launceston, Tas in 1842)Arrived from London via Cork to Launceston 22nd November 1842
Passenger list of the SALDANHA (to Victoria in 1856)
Arrived from London via Cork to Launceston 22nd November 1842
Passenger list of the SULPHUR (to Swan River [WA] in 1829)
His Majesty's Sloop "Sulphur" arrived Swan River on 6th June 1829
Passenger list for the WINIFRED (to Melbourne in 1863)
Passenger list for the WINIFRED sailing ship left London December 27th 1862 for Melbourne arriving April 8th 1863
Queensland Immigration Indexes
This index was compiled from the original passenger lists in the collection of the Queensland State Archives. Many indexing errors, and errors in interpreting handwriting, have been corrected in this new index. Researchers are advised to check this index if an earlier index had been consulted, especially if the search was unsuccessful. Names may now appear in this index which had previously not been identified.
The passenger lists are primarily for assisted passengers from the United Kingdom and Europe. Please note that this list does not include passengers from New Zealand, the Americas, Asia, Africa, other Australian ports or those passengers who paid their own fare (in a few lists there are fare paying passengers included).
The records for the 1860s are incomplete because they were inundated in the 1893 floods. The registers held at Queensland State Archives were rewritten from the damaged originals during that period.
Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade List
A wealth of fascinating information can be found in this excellent resource and I would hope to whet the appetite by including a sample of items which give an indication of the nature of information that can be found.
As the years roll by and the colony of NSW and those adjacent develop, so the nature of the news carried evolves, as does that from around the World, with the Maori Wars coming to a close at one end and the Crimean War tottering to a close at the other, with the de-stabilising influences of two major Gold Rushes in between.
Shipping into WA
Data has been gathered from the Battye Library's 'Ships Index', the 'Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians', F.H. Broomhall's 'The Veterans', Fremantle 'Harbour Master Reports' and colonial newspaper's 'Shipping Intelligence' columns.
South Australian Passenger Lists - 1836 - 1851
OUR AIM has been to gather as many South Australian passenger lists as possible between 1836 and the 1860s.
To December 2004 we have over 2000, most of which are now available for you to view.
We also have a number of passenger lists for ships which arrived in South Australia after the 1860s.
A Database has also been created from all these passenger lists currently 52,000 families.
South Australian Shipping Lists - 19th Century
The following databases will allow you to access details on vessels arriving in South Australia.
Tasmanian Immigration and Shipping Resources
If your ancestor wasn't a convict, it is likely that he or she was an immigrant of some sort. The following pages may help you in finding how your ancestor arrived in Tasmania.
The Ships List
TheShipsList website, online since August 1999, will help you find your ancestors on ships' passenger lists.We also have immigration reports, newspaper records, shipwreck information, ship pictures, ship descriptions, shipping-line fleet lists and more; as well as hundreds of passenger lists to Canada, USA, Australia and even some for South Africa. Be sure to check the "special projects," listed below.
We have over 3,000 totally free access web-pages with new databases added regularly (see the links below between the big arrows).
To make best use of your visit, use the Navigation-bars (buttons and text) which are on the top of every page, to help you find your way around. Some extra details of the main index pages included below.
Unassisted inward passengers to Victoria 1852 - 1923
You can search this list for names of passengers who boarded ships to Victoria, Australia from overseas ports between 1852 and 1923. 'Unassisted' passengers' fares were not subsidised by government.
Victoria - Index to Outward Passengers to Interstate, UK, NZ and Foreign Ports 1852-1923
Victoria - Index to Assisted British Immigration 1839-1871
Western Australia Maritime Museum
The Western Australian Museum - Maritime provides exhibitions on Shipwrecks discovered off the Western Australian coast and Western Australia's Maritime endeavours. We have 3 main sites in Fremantle that bring together Western Australia's Maritime heritage.