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
Pages
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
NetherlandsMy first job was at a car yard cleaning cars and so.
AustraliaIn the early 70's a lot of people struggled financially and needed money even to go to the doctor
GermanyNo longer young at 44, Father finally made good his lifelong dream of migration.
NetherlandsOn their arrival, Adriana Zevenbergen and her family were treated to gifts, dinner receptions wit
ItalyMigrants are special people. They are different from those who stay in their home country.
LatviaOtto Kampe, the 250,000th refugee to arrive in Australia post-World War II, landed with his wife
United KingdomArriving from England in March 1964, my wife and I settled in Melbourne.
VietnamOperation Babylift was the name given to the mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to nu
I was nine years old in 1956. It had been one of the coldest winters on record in Holland.
GermanyMy parents, Johannes (John) and Elisabeth (Lisa) had applied to emigrate to Venezuela and to Aust
LuxembourgThe main kitchen was huge, next to the kitchen, in a shed was a giant steam producing machine, th
ItalyMy parents Gennaro and Esther Bongiorno were married in 1946 in Pollara, a little town on the isl
AustraliaIt must have been really hard for Mum with not speaking much English and not knowing too many peo
United Kingdom(Mitchell Librarian 1993-2001, Associate Director State Records NSW 2001-2008 and Director State
GermanyMy Mother and Father decided to come to Australia from Germany.
LuxembourgThe rest of the afternoon was spend unpacking then wandering around in the hostel to get acquaint
VietnamIn April 1975, a large scale evacuation of children took place in Vietnam, sending thousands of c
