Share your story, read about other migrants’ memories and explore our photos – to see if you recognise someone you know. Between 1946 and 1999 government photographers snapped 22,000 images of people arriving and living in Australia. You can view them online in the National Archives’ collection.
Explore the collection
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Video portraits
Browse videos- Series: Dutch Australia Shared Cultural Heritage
Cees, Ina and Erwin Huig, Dutch migrants to Australia - Series: Dutch Australia Shared Cultural Heritage
Gerard and Marretje van Wezel, Dutch migrants to Australia - Series: Dutch Australia Shared Cultural Heritage
Sherry Wright, Dutch migrant to Australia - Series: Dutch Australia Shared Cultural Heritage
Petronella Wensing, Dutch migrant to Australia - Series: Dutch Australia Shared Cultural Heritage
Stephanie Brantz, Dutch migrant heritage - Series: A Ticket to Paradise? Exhibition
Vera Marek - Series: A Ticket to Paradise? Exhibition
Seraphin Nyirenda - Series: A Ticket to Paradise? Exhibition
Maria-Lourdes (Noonee) Doronila - Series: A Ticket to Paradise? Exhibition
Lam Tac Tam
Personal stories
Add Your Own Story
HungaryHungarian Laszlo Makay arrived at Bonegilla in November 1951 after six years in a displaced perso
ItalyIn early October 1973, a few of Mum's siblings picked up Dad and Mum and they headed to Tullamari
United Kingdom(Mitchell Librarian 1993-2001, Associate Director State Records NSW 2001-2008 and Director State
NetherlandsIt all began when I was at secondary school where I had to do a project on one of the continents.
GreeceBy the 1960s the Australian government began to address the growing gender imbalance by actively
VietnamOperation Babylift was the name given to the mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to nu
AustraliaAs I reflect on Mum and Dad's life, I think of my own life and how I am who I am because of these
NetherlandsThere seemed to be no future for me in Australia, so I decided to return to the Netherlands after
AustraliaBack in Adelaide, I settled down to my work. Three of the cadet engineers became my friends.
ItalyMilestone migrants received a lot of fanfare on arrival to Australia, and for Antonia Bellomarino
GermanyGertrud Neumahr was 18 when she decided to go on a grand two year round trip adventure to Austral
IndonesiaBas Wie was an orphan who had survived the Japanese occupation of Timor during World War II.
LuxembourgFrom Singapore we had an overnight flight to Sydney, dawn came, the first glimpse on our new home
AustraliaIn their new home, they planted lots of fruit trees and vegetable plants and lived off the garden- AustraliaThe following day I was given a very lengthy series of tests in maths, English, solving problems,
ItalyWe arrived at Greta Migrant Camp, approximately 180 kms north of Sydney, in mid December 1955.
United KingdomAustralia’s post-war immigration publicity campaign was in full swing by 1955.
ChinaMy father was born in Chandaochedzy, Manchuria; my mother in Chingan, Manchuria and I was born in
GermanyWhen they landed in Fremantle, Western Australia, a kind gentleman bought them an ice cream and m
AustraliaWhen they first arrived in Melbourne in 1959, Mum and her family lived in North Essendon for a sh
