Migrant ships
Until the mid-20th century, many migrants to Australia arrived by ship. These are the stories of specific migrant ships and the experiences of their passengers.
Navy crew and ships records
Information about Navy crew and ships records in the National Archives.
Ship of shame
From 1895, a sensationalist touring exhibit exploited the Australian public’s appetite for a gothic convict narrative.
Customs shipping records held in Sydney
Information on how to research customs shipping records held in Sydney.
Royal Australian Navy ship and crew records
The National Archives of Australia has records about members of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) who served as crew aboard RAN ships.
Ships ahoy! Surveying Australian waters for science
Hurried sketches of whales and notes on flying fish. Marine expeditions in the 30s and 40s contributed to today's knowledge of marine biology and oceanography.
Tall ships in Sydney Harbour during Australian Bicentenary celebrations
This is a colour photograph showing a flotilla of spectator craft gathered within Sydney Harbour to view and farewell the historic tall ships.
Departure of survivors of Clan Ranald ship wreck – acknowledgement letter
Letter from the Secretary, Department of External Affairs to the Acting Collector of Customs about the departure of survivors from the Clan Ranald ship wreck.
More ships needed for repatriation of soldiers - letter from Prime Minister William Morris Hughes
A letter from Prime Minister Hughes to Sir Joseph Maclay, British Minister for Shipping. It seeks more ships to repatriate Australian soldiers after World War I
Survivors of Clan Ranald ship wreck to sail to Port Adelaide – telegram from Customs
Telegram from Customs, confirming the departure of survivors (of the Clan Ranald ship wreck) sailing to Port Adelaide.
Comments from officers on duty aboard 'Australis' ship carrying potential migrants to Australia
This is a memo from Acting Immigration Inspector to the Officer in Charge of the Entry Policy Branch, sent on 18 December 1967.
Dead in the water
In October 1945, a body washed up on the shores of the Port River in Adelaide. It was wrapped in blankets and weighted with ships spanners.
Smuggled to the Antarctic
Smuggled on board a Norwegian ship in 1961, Nelle Law was the first Australian woman to set foot on Australian Antarctic Territory.
Opium watch
It’s an age-old story: ships, sailors and smuggling. With opium smoking outlawed in 1905, smuggling became increasingly lucrative.
The Sepia – history beneath the waves
The Sepia, an iron hulled 3 mast barque ran aground on December 1898. The ship was discovered by the Underwater Explorer's Club of Western Australia in 1960.
Refugees from East Timor arrive in Darwin
This is a black-and-white photograph of the deck of a ship carrying East Timorese refugees.
The voyage of the Misr
The Egyptian ship SS Misr was met with controversy on arrival in Melbourne in 1947.
European migrants disembarking in Sydney
This black-and-white photograph shows European migrants disembarking from a ship in Sydney.
Our river, Port Adelaide – collotype postcard
Collotype postcard engraved from original photograph of a ship docked at Port Adelaide.
Young migrants disembarking in Australia
This black-and-white photograph shows young migrants disembarking a ship upon arrival in Australia.