Passenger Lists
![Passenger list for the Oruba which sailed from Sydney and arrived in London on 2 March 1893. Passengers also boarded in Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany, Colombo and Jamaica. [UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960; Ancestry Library Edition. Originals held at The National Archives, Kew.]](http://slwa.wa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0018/23805/Passenger-list---Orubalg.jpg)
Most family historians are keen to find their ancestor's name on a passenger list, particularly when the voyage signified the start of a new life a long way from home. However, it is important to realise that this is not always possible for a variety of reasons; some passenger lists, especially early ones, have not survived; not all passengers were listed, particularly if they travelled steerage class; and crew members and the military were often not included. Sometimes, passengers are listed but are difficult to identify. For example, it is quite common to see entries such as Mr Smith or Mr and Mrs Brown and children.
Bearing these limitations in mind, there are some key resources on this page for tracing your ancestors' voyages. To find information on passenger lists for specific states please go to:
![The Orsova leaves Fremantle, 21.2.63
[Wylie collection of slides; BA1686/187; 133654PD]](http://slwa.wa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/23884/133654PD.jpg)
- Western Australia Passenger Lists
- New South Wales Passenger Lists
- Northern Territory Passenger Lists
- Queensland Passenger Lists
- South Australia Passenger Lists
- Tasmania Passenger Lists
- Victoria Passenger Lists
Key Websites
National Archives of
The National Archives of Australia holds immigration and naturalisation records, including passenger lists, from the late 1800s onwards. Some material has been digitised and is available through their website. Select RecordSearch to search their holdings but please be aware that not everything is available online.
Ancestors on Board - UK Outward Passenger Lists, 1890 1960 (BT 27)
Here you can trace people sailing from Britain to non-European ports from 1890 to 1960. Initial searching is free with a charge for viewing full details or the digitised passenger list. An extremely useful site for finding ancestors voyages to destinations such as New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, Canada and, of course, Australia.
Ancestry Library Edition - UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878 1960 (BT 26) Available within the State Library building
This database, available on Ancestry, records those sailing into Britain from ports outside Europe and is useful for ancestors who may have travelled backwards and forwards between Britain and other countries. The library edition of this subscription database is available to use within the State Library building, as well as in some public libraries.
Ozships: Australian shipping arrivals and departures, 1788 to 1968
This site has an alphabetical list of over 92,000 passengers and crew. There are also lists of arrivals and departures arranged chronologically giving the name of the ship with date and port of arrival or departure. Some shipping for New Zealand is also included.
Ships' Logs, Journals, Pictures and Passenger Ship Links: Australia and New Zealand
This site describes some of the main sources of information on ships bound for Australia and New Zealand. It includes links to ships' pictures, passenger lists, crew lists and convict sites.
The Ships List
This is a large website which includes passenger lists for Australia and New Zealand as well as for the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Also on the site are descriptions and images of ships, shipboard diaries and more.
Other Websites
Use the SLWA Genealogy Tags page on the social bookmarking site, Delicious, to find websites for passenger lists recommended by the Family History Subject Specialists. Look for headings such as emigration, immigration or passenger.lists under the country or state of interest e.g. south.australia-passenger.lists or scotland-emigration.
Page last updated: 08/10/2009 11:41:16