Victorian immigration and emigration

Unassisted passengers paid their own fares to Australia, or were privately sponsored. Prior to 1852, ship's masters were not required to record the names of unassisted passengers.

Unassisted passengers travelled either in steerage or in (more costly) cabins. The information recorded about a cabin or steerage passenger was usually very brief. Females, children, servants and steerage passengers were frequently left off the passenger lists. Some passengers were only listed under their surname, or the initials of their first name, or as part of a family group, for example Mr. Smith & family, Mr. G Jones, Miss Begg.

In many cases there is no more information on unassisted passenger lists than on the index. However, the lists are still worth checking, as they sometimes give a person’s occupation and nationality, as well as group families together.

Cabin passengers may also be listed in the ‘Shipping Intelligence’ columns of early newspapers (many of which are indexed). See the Additional resources box for more information.

After 1871, records of assisted migrants were not kept separately from those of unassisted migrants. To search for the arrival of assisted migrants between 1872 - 1923, consult the unassisted index and passenger lists listed below.

Online

To find an unassisted immigrant's arrival into Victoria, search the Public Record Office Victoria's Unassisted Passenger lists. A digitised passenger list can be viewed for each record.

The passenger lists are also available to view on Ancestry Library Edition (available onsite to Library users) and on microfiche in the Library's Newspapers & Family History Reading Room.

Microfiche

The steps below outline how to access the lists on microfiche in our Newspapers & Family History Reading Room.

Step 1: Search the Index to unassisted inward passenger lists to Victoria 1852-1923 available on the Public Record Office Victoria website.

Take note of the ship name, month and year.  

Step 2. Once you have obtained this information you can then look up your passenger list. The following passenger lists are available in the Library's Newspapers and Family History Reading Rooms at call number GMF 106 Box 3 - 16.

Immigration to Victoria : inward passenger lists, British ports, 1852-1923

Immigration to Victoria : inward passenger lists, foreign ports, 1852-1923

Inward overseas passenger lists. New Zealand 1852-1923


Glengoil passenger list January 1886

Prior to 1852, ship's masters were not required to record the names of unassisted passengers. There are however, some resources you can consult if researching an arrival in this time period.

• Immigration to Victoria. Overseas and intercolonial ports, 1846-1852. Register of inward shipping and index. This register records the arrival of ships in to the port of Melbourne, between the years January 1846 to October 1852. Between January 1846 and October 1847 passengers are named, however it is not known how complete the passenger lists are for each ship.

Please also consult the Additional resources tab, for further resources.

The following print resources are available in the Library's Family History & Newspaper Room:

• Private lives, public records : family history resources at Public Record Office Victoria
  Guide to records held at the Public Record Office of Victoria. Published 2003.

• Coming south : Victorian archives of immigration, 1839-1923 : a guide
  Guide to immigration records held at the Public Record Office of Victoria. Published 1995.

• Shipping arrivals and departures, Victorian ports
  Three volume set covering the years 1798-1860. Some passenger names included, compiled from unofficial sources (eg. newspapers).

• Log of logs : a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters, and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand and surrounding oceans (also available online)

• How to find shipping and immigration records in Australia

• He must have swum! : tracing your ancestor's arrival in Australia