Passenger Lists 1847-1886

This is an index of South Australian passenger lists, consisting mainly of British immigrants arriving in South Australia under assisted passage schemes. Covering an earlier period of time than the better-known UK passenger lists, this index includes details of the voyages and passengers who arrived in South Australia between 1847 and 1886. From the mid-1830s to roughly 1860, assisted emigration was administered in London and funded by the sale of crown land in the newly-founded colony of South Australia. However, in 1858, South Australia gained its own representative government and took over the administration of the land fund. It became the first colony in Australia to send its own immigration agent to London to manage both the fund and the arrangement of transport for the assisted passenger schemes. The information on these records was compiled from original passenger lists, as well as mentions of ship arrivals in the South Australian Government Gazette, Sydney Shipping Gazette and South Australian Register. Note that these records may contain spelling variations and irregularities in age and passenger details, as information was sometimes recorded inaccurately in the original.