Early Australian Archives Go Online

Hard-to-find documents detailing the history of Australia’s immigration are becoming more readily available since the National Archives in Canberra commenced digitising its massive collection. The National Archives maintains such a large number of government records that immigration documents alone fill 22 kilometres of shelf space.

Senator John Faulkner launched the "Making Australia Home" project earlier this month -– a plan that will progressively make Australia’s immigration records available on the Internet.

The National Archives has already digitised 74,000 items, providing online access to the details of many of the more than seven million people who have resettled in Australia since the formation of Federation 1901.

The records contain details such as the name of the person who migrated, when they migrated and their place of birth, including those who resettled under assisted passage arrangements and post-war displaced person schemes.

For more information visit http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/migration/index.aspx.

My thanks to Robert Landau for telling me about this new online resource.

Comments

[Margaret]

There's nothing about the poor Irish prisoners who were transported in the 1800's, who were virtual slaves, most for no other reason than they stole to have something to eat (some were just career criminals also).

[Phyllis]

Thank you for bringing this item to our attention - at least for me with my early Australian ancestors. I was so delighted when the Australian Parliament designated the early foreign inhabitants to those shores as 'The First Fleeters' for whatever reason and how ever they were transported there. And now to add this wonderful followup. I have already located information of many of 'my' family.
Thank you again - Cheers P.

[Mary Holland]

Thanks Dick for bringing this to our attention. I spent a nice long time looking for the family of my great grandfather's brother. I found info that wasn't there a year ago so am happy. 31 pages of one of the son's military record including the fact that he took a wife back to Australia after ww1! I've ordered his marriage certificate from England and found even more information on the Queensland web site. A very nice Sunday night's work, thanks to you.