Archives In Brief 1 - Shipping and arrival records
'Online' microfilm reel of Assisted Shipping lists, 1838-1896
Scroll through the digital copies of these passenger lists, ship by ship, just as you would if you were going through a microfilm in the reading rooms.
» Start your online viewing here
Online immigration indexes
A collection of immigration indexes are available from our main Immigration page. Some of these indexes are listed below under Online indexes to assisted immigrants. Online indexes, such as the Index to the Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788-1825, may also be of interest when researching immigrant arrivals. The Ships and Mariners in Australian Waters should be consulted for unassisted passengers and crew arrivals from the 1850s to the 1890s.
How to find an arrival
Obtain the death certificate
If the person died in New South Wales, the death certificate may show the number of years spent in the colony or colonies where he/she had spent their time. By taking the number of years spent in the colonies from the date of death, an approximate year of arrival can be determined.
Check available indexes and records for arrivals
If two records exist for one arrival, always check both as the information may differ slightly, or one record may be more comprehensive.
1. Unassisted (free) passengers
Unassisted passengers (also known as free settlers) paid their own way to New South Wales. State Records holds records of free settlers from 1792-1922. Most of these records relate to free settlers arriving in Sydney.
Until 1854, many unassisted passengers (particularly steerage passengers) were not listed individually on a passenger list. Newspapers for this period often reported a ship's arrival and these may contain a list of passengers. The State Library NSW holds copies of newspapers.
After 1922, immigration became the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government and the records are held by the National Archives of Australia.
Indexes to check for unassisted passengers
Passenger lists are arranged chronologically by arrival of the ship. As there are no comprehensive indexes to passengers arriving after 1855, and if the name of the ship and the exact year of arrival are unknown, researchers will need to try to determine the date of arrival from other sources. See those suggested under Other immigration sources.
Index to miscellaneous early shipping, 1792-1826
Book form
Tip: See the Shipping Guide (p.36) for a list of the surviving shipping lists
Index to unassisted passengers arriving, Jul 1826-53
Reels 1358-1372
Miscellaneous immigrants 1828-43
Indexes unassisted passengers and assisted immigrants
Pastkeys: Index to unassisted arrivals to NSW, 1842-55
Fiche 5709-5720
A CD version covering the period 1842-56 is available in our reading rooms
Ian Hughes: Passengers to Port Phillip (Melbourne), 1839-51
Book form
Mariners and Ships in Australian Waters website which focuses on unassisted passengers and crew arrivals from the 1870s
2. Assisted passengers
This term refers to people whose passage was subsidised or paid for through one of the assisted immigration schemes that operated in New South Wales. State Records holds records of assisted immigrants from 1828-96. These records generally provide valuable information on each assisted immigrant such as native place and parents' names.
Indexes to check for assisted immigrants
These indexes are available in the reading rooms only.
Index to bounty immigrants arriving in NSW, 1828-42 *ARK
Reels 30-37
Index to assisted immigrants (miscellaneous), 1828-42
Book form
Tip: This indexes ships not covered in the Index to bounty immigrants arriving in NSW 1828-42
Miscellaneous immigrants index, 1828-43
The following indexes are available in both reading rooms and as part of the Archives Resources Kit (ARK) and on our website.
Index to assisted immigrants arriving Sydney and Newcastle, 1844-59 *ARK
Index to assisted immigrants arriving Sydney, 1860-79 *ARK
Index to assisted immigrants arriving in Sydney, 1880-96 *ARK
Index to assisted immigrants arriving Moreton Bay (Brisbane), 1848-59 *ARK
Index to assisted immigrants arriving Port Phillip (Melbourne), 1939-51 *ARK
3. Crew
In general there are few records relating to crew until 1854. The lists from 1854-1922 include the names of the crew members, their position on board and their nationality. As with the unassisted passenger lists, they are not indexed after 1855.
See Archives in Brief 21 for further information.
Index to check for crew arrivals
Norma M Tuck: Index to Ships' Musters (departures), 1816-25
Fiche 5287-5289
Pastkeys: Index to Ships and Masters to Sydney, 1842-55
Fiche 5721-5724
4. Military
Military personnel are not generally mentioned by name on passenger lists. There are some sources, such as correspondence records that may assist in identifying the ship on which particular military personnel arrived.
Military records in the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP)
Musters and Pay Lists for the various regiments serving in New South Wales are available on microfilm as part of the AJCP. These records indicate where a soldier's pay was sent on a quarterly basis and may assist in narrowing down an arrival date. A full set of the AJCP microfilm reels are held by the National Library of Australia and the Mitchell Library, which is part of the State Library of New South Wales.
Indexes to check for military arrivals
Index to unassisted passengers arriving, July 1826-53
Reels 1358-1372
Tip: Check under 'Military'. Individual officers, where named, are also indexed separately
Index to unassisted arrivals to NSW, 1842-55
Fiche 5709-5720
Tip: Check under 'Regiments'
Index to the Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788-1825 *ARK
5. Convicts
We hold records concerning the convicts who were transported to New South Wales, 1788-1842. See Archives in Brief 2 and the Convict Guide (available in both reading rooms) for further information on convicts.
Indexes to check for convict arrivals
Index to convict indents, 1788-1842
Fiche 5969-5979
Other immigration sources
As many unassisted passengers are not listed individually on a passenger list, it is possible that you may not be able to locate an arrival after having searched the available shipping sources. Try the following sources. See also Archives in Brief 24.
Naturalization records
If an ancestor born outside the British Empire wanted to own land or vote, they needed to be naturalized. We hold records of naturalization (usually only men) on fiche and film in both reading rooms for 1834-1903.
See Archives in Brief 3 and Short Guide 9 for further information.
After 1903, naturalization records are held by the National Archives of Australia.
Indexes to check for naturalization records
NRS 5264, Immigration deposit journals, 1853-1900 *ARK
Reels 2668A-2676
These records relate to assisted immigrants and are a record of monies paid by depositors towards the cost of an immigrant's fare.
Check the following index for immigrants and depositors
Pastkeys Index to the NSW Immigration Deposit Journals; and Supplement, 1853-1900; 1856-57
Fiche 5246-5265; 5915-5918
Colonial Secretary's Correspondence
The Colonial Secretary was one of the most important and influential government officials throughout the 19th century, especially in the period up to 1856. Surviving correspondence created by the Colonial Secretary's Office can be invaluable for all types of research. It is one of the main alternative sources to be used to determine arrival details.
The two most useful parts of the correspondence are:
Index to the Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788-1825 *ARK
Index to the Colonial Secretary's letters relating to land, 1826-1856
NRS 907, Letters received from individuals relating to land, 1826-56
Reels 1081-1200; COD 194-195
Personal details such as arrival details are often shown in this correspondence. An alphabetical list of the letters is available in both reading rooms.
Immigration to New South Wales after 1922
After 1922, immigration became the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government and the records are held by the National Archives of Australia. Copies of the passenger lists 1923-66 are also held in our Sydney Records Centre.
Passengers arriving in Newcastle
State Records holds records of some assisted immigrant arrivals to Newcastle. These are indexed in the Index to assisted immigrants arriving Sydney and Newcastle, 1844-59. Later records of passengers arriving in Newcastle, 1865-1935 are held by the National Archives of Australia.
Passengers arriving in other states
Because of the changes to colonial boundaries in the nineteenth century, State Records holds assisted immigration records to Port Phillip (Victoria), 1839-51 and Moreton Bay (Queensland), 1848-59. Other records of passengers arriving in other states are usually held with the local state archives organizations, and later the National Archives of Australia.
Other suggestions
Other sources that may document later events in an immigrant's life can be useful sources for arrival information. Many records may mention a ship and year of arrival, including mental hospital, gaol records and some occupation records. These and further records are covered in other guides and finding aids.
For further information
Researchers should consult Archives Investigator as well as the Guide to Shipping and Free Passenger Records (Shipping Guide), available in the reading rooms, and as part of the Archives Resources Kit. This AIB can be used in conjunction with Archives in Brief 24.
*ARK signifies that a copy of the record or guide is part of the Archives Resources Kit and is held by the community access points.
© State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority, 2003.
This work may be freely reproduced and distributed for most purposes, however some restrictions apply. See our copyright notice or contact us.
