Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
Original data: Queensland, Australia: Queensland State Archives.

Immigration Indexes. Queensland State Archives.

A full list of sources can be found here.

© the State of Queensland (Queensland State Archives, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation) and used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

About Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972

About the Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972

General collection information

This collection contains an index of a variety of immigration records collected from Queensland, Australia between 1848 and 1972. The data contained in the indexes were compiled from various original source records, including:

  • Passage certificates
  • Registers of immigrants
  • Passport registers
  • Passenger lists
  • Registers of rations issued to immigrants
  • Registers of assisted immigration ships
  • Government records pertaining to South Sea Islanders

    • Original records are held by the Queensland State Archive.

    Using the collection

    Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Inferred birth year
  • Age
  • Family members' names
  • Vessel's name
  • Arrival date and place
  • Archival reference numbers

    • Most records provide a date of arrival, but if that information isn't available, records will also contain clues about their point of origin or vessel that can help pin down an arrival date.

    Records include a data category labelled "Source Card." The source card lists the name of the person considered to be the head of household for each family during the voyage. By comparing the source cards of individuals on the same ship, you can figure out which family members were travelling together regardless of surname.

    Collection in context

    Queensland's first organised migration scheme began in 1849 as convict transport waned. Beginning in 1861, immigration in Queensland drastically increased as the newly established colony sought settlers. Although predominantly British, many diverse groups have emigrated to Queensland. Some of the larger populations include German, Jewish, Chinese, South Sea Islanders, Scandinavian, Russian, Italian, Maltese, Greek, Spanish, and Japanese.

    In 1901, the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia enacted the Immigration Restriction Act 1901. The policy was a discriminatory and racist practice passed to "keep Australia British" by restricting immigration and deporting non-white Australians.

    During the First World War, immigration stalled dramatically. However, the war's aftermath saw a rise in assisted migration schemes as the Australian government felt they needed more citizens to help defend the country. Although immigration would again halt during the Second World War, the post-war years would again see a rise in immigration. For the first time since the Immigration Restriction Act, significant numbers of non-British immigrants would begin to arrive in Australia as Eastern Europeans sought to find new homes. Slowly, Australian immigration policies began to become more accepting.

    Bibliography

    Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection. "A History of the Department of Immigration." Last Modified June 2017. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us-subsite/files/immigration-history.pdf.

    Harrison, Jennifer. "Colonial Immigration to Queensland." Queensland Historical Atlas. Last Modified 2010. https://www.qhatlas.com.au/content/colonial-immigration-queensland#.

    Immigration Museum. "Journeys to Australia." Last Modified 9 January, 2017. https://museumsvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/resources/journeys-to-australia/.

    Migration Heritage Centre. "Australia’s Migration History." Last Modified 2010. https://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/belongings-home/about-belongings/australias-migration-history/index.html.

    Morgan, Kenneth. "Peopling a new colony: Henry Jordan, land orders, and Queensland immigration, 1861–7." Historical Research. Volume 94, Issue 264. Last Modified May 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/hisres/htab002.

    National Archives of Australia. "The Immigration Restriction Act 1901." Last modified 22 April, 2020. https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/immigration-and-citizenship/immigration-restriction-act-1901.

    National Museum Australia. "Postwar Immigration Drive." Last Modified 28 September, 2022. https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/postwar-immigration-drive.

    Queensland Government. "Immigration." Last Modified 31 August, 2023. href="https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/arts/heritage/archives/collection/immigration"target="_blank">https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/arts/heritage/archives/collection/immigration.

    Queensland Government. "Queensland Heritage Register - Migration Places." Last Modified 11 June, 2013. https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/67113/is_qhr_migration_places.pdf.