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
NetherlandsThis is writtrn in memory of my father and mother.In the year 1945 we had been through a war and
IndonesiaBas Wie was an orphan who had survived the Japanese occupation of Timor during World War II.
NetherlandsIt all began when I was at secondary school where I had to do a project on one of the continents.
GermanyDad worked at BHP at Newcastle, and was meant to stay in the hostel at Mayfield, but to save mone
NetherlandsFifty years after their arrival, the Wolwinkels held a family reunion in Gumbuya Park, Victoria,
GermanyGertrud Neumahr was 18 when she decided to go on a grand two year round trip adventure to Austral
United Kingdom(Mitchell Librarian 1993-2001, Associate Director State Records NSW 2001-2008 and Director State
NetherlandsThere seemed to be no future for me in Australia, so I decided to return to the Netherlands after
HungaryHungarian Laszlo Makay arrived at Bonegilla in November 1951 after six years in a displaced perso
AustraliaSoon after announcing his search for ships and migrants to fill them, the first Immigration Minis
ItalyMario Cerasani was born on 9 June 1930 in San Benedetto dei Marsi in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
AustraliaThe following day I was given a very lengthy series of tests in maths, English, solving problems,
NetherlandsAs promotion for the Australian government’s migration programs, much was made of milestone arriv
AustraliaIt was not smooth sailing for all migrants that arrived in Australia after WWII.
United KingdomJohn Albert Martin, his wife Mavis and son Donald, arrived in Australia onboard the Oronsay in Ju
NetherlandsI (Frans Alexander Udo) was born on March 29 1950 in Amsterdam Holland.
ItalyThe local newspapers in Melbourne and Sydney carried articles on the arrival of the MV Roma with
