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"Assisted Immigrants"
Between 1832 and 1850 over 16,000 people became "assisted Immigrants". This was because Australia had a shortage of workers and needed Scottish engineers, carpenters, blacksmiths and stonemasons. This created more employment for Australia and the population grew. -
Helen Spence
In 1839 Catherine Helen Spence emigrated to Adelaide. She had been born in Melrose in the Scottish Borders. Catherine Spence became Australia's first female political candidate and first woman journalist. She campaigned for women's suffrage and was often called 'Australia's Greatest Woman'. She appears on the Australian $5 bank note. -
The Gold Rush
Scottish emigration to Australia slowed after 1840, due to better economic conditions in Scotland and the number of working-class jobs created by the expanding railroads. In 1851, Edward Hargraves discovered gold in Bathurst, New South Wales. By 1852, 370,000 people had come to the province, as well as neighboring Victoria, where gold had also been discovered. Over the next 10 years, tens of thousands of Scots migrated to the area in the hopes of striking it rich. Many stayed behind after the de -
Good Character People
Single women of "good moral character" were encouraged to immigrate to Australia and were given free passage, as were particular classes of skilled workers, depending on the needs at the time. Since most of the people immigrating to Scotland were really fleeing destitution and increased land rents, this was one of the few ways to ensure that professionals found their way to Australian shores. A large number of Scots became Australian farmers, composing one-third of all landowners in Tasmania and -
Scottish Convicts
There were 8,200 Scottish convicts transported to Australia. A relatively large number of Scottish convicts were transported for larceny (burglary and break and entering) committed in or around Glasgow and Edinburgh. -
Scottish Employment
The 20th century continued to see Scots migrate to Australia. In the 1920s Scots stonemasons helped to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Scots miners from Lanarkshire, Fife and Ayrshire worked in coal mines in New South Wales in the '20s and '30s. -
"Ten Pound Poms"
After the Second World War thousands of Britons set sail for Australia. Between 1947 and 1981 more than a million Britons took advantage of an assisted passage scheme introduced by the Australian Government. Around 170,000 Scots left Britain to become ‘Ten Pound Poms’ and start a new life Down Under. -
The Gold Rush
Between the 1950s and 1970s Australian population grew dramatically because of of the Gold fields. The main Gold Fields were based in NSW and Victoria. • Victorias population was 80 000 in 1851 by 1854 the population tripled to 237 000. this was because of the gold fields.
