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Greek Immigrants
Many Greeks were amongst the sailors who left their English ships in Australian waters when they heard the discovery of gold. Most intended to return home rich men, so few women came to join them. -
Convicts
Englands jails became to full so they sent there convicts to Australia which Captain Arthur Philip had said was a good place for a settlement. -
German Immigrants
German settlers escaping the rising nationalist started to immigrate to Australia looking to start a new life. They found regions that were suitable for wheat and dairy farming, the planting of vineyards and wine making. -
Italian Immigrants
Hundreds of Italians were lured to Victoria by the possibilit of striking it rich in the 1850s gold rushes. -
Spanish Immigrants
Although Spanish seafarers began exploring the South Pacific in the fourteenth century, it was not until the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s that Spanish immigrants began to arrive in Victoria -
Chinese Immigrants
They came to Australia by the tons for the same reason as many other people had- to find gold in the Gold Rush. -
Camaleers (Afgans) Immigrants
More efficient than bullock or horse teamsters, the cameleers were in great demand. They helped construct the Overland Telegraph Line and inland railways, took part in exploration expeditions, and supplied mining towns and pastoral stations. -
South Pacific Islands (Kanakers) Imigrants
Between 1863 and 1904, around 62 000 Pacific Islanders migrated to Queensland to work on the sugarcane plantations. Mostly from Vanuatu and the Solomons, the Pacific Islanders were also derogatively known as 'Kanakas.' -
French Immiagrants
Motivated by scientific interest and trade, French explorers began arriving on Australian shores. The British, deeply suspicious about French intentions in the region, moved quickly to establish colonies in many parts of Australia. -
Irish Immigrants
Roughly 101,540 Irish came to Australia, mainly struck with gold fever. Most of the early gold found was alluvial, so the fact that the Irish had little to no mining skills, was not a problem.
