Indexes - Immigration 1848-1912
This Index was created from Series ID 13086, Registers of Immigrant Ships’ Arrivals, 1848-1912; This series was created and used by the Immigration Department
Background
These registers contain passenger lists of immigrant ships arriving in Queensland. Details vary over time and between registers but include the names of ships, their dates of departure from European ports and arrival in Queensland ports, the tonnage etc of ships and names of masters, surgeons etc. as well as the passenger lists usually arranged by type of passage: free, assisted, remittance, bounty, steerage etc., or sometimes by type of immigrant: railway workers, for example. Details for each entry for a passenger include the name, whether married or single, male or female and age, whether a child 1 - 12 or an infant. A summary of passenger totals including births and deaths may also be included.
The passenger lists are primarily for assisted passengers from the United Kingdom and Europe. Please note that this list does not include passengers from New Zealand, the Americas, Asia, Africa, other Australian ports or those passengers who paid their own fare (in a few lists there are fare paying passengers included). This index does not include all immigration records for that period. The records for the 1860s are incomplete because they were inundated in the 1893 floods. The registers held at Queensland State Archives were rewritten from the damaged originals during that period.
The images below are pages from the Registers. (Left) is the Register page for the Cloncurry page 1 and (Right) is the Register page for the Great Queensland page 772.
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Other Records
If you cannot find the required name here there are a number of other records to check in the Public Search Room including: Card Index to Immigrants; Indexes to Nominated Immigrants and their Nominators 1908-1922; Card Index to Land Orders; and the Card Index to Ships.
See also Brief Guide to Immigration Records, and Pathways Guide to Immigration.
How to Use the Index
Each index is an alphabetical sequence of names with the details from the immigration register. For each name included there is also the age of the immigrant, date of arrival, name of ship, QSA location number e.g. IMM/126 and page number for the entry within the register.
The microfilm numbers e.g. Z1967 and M1706 are also included. The "Z" microfilm numbers refer to the films held in the Public Search Room at Queensland State Archives.
The "M" microfilm numbers refer to the films in the Historical Resource Kit - Immigration which is located in collections around Australia. See the See the list of locations.
How to locate the record on the microfilm
Once the appropriate roll of microfilm is located, refer first to the label, which shows the order in which the records have been filmed. A roll of microfilm can contain copies of a large quantity of records; therefore, it is important to check the box label to determine beforehand the location of the register or record on the roll. The Queensland State Archives location numbers of each register or record filmed from the start to the end of the roll are given on the box label.
Watch for heading sheets which are filmed at the start and end of each register or record. The heading sheets are typed foolscap pages which describe the register or record following, its date range and its Queensland State Archives location number. Note too that there are usually several blank frames of film between one register and the next.
Once the correct register is located, advance the film to the required page on which the person's name is recorded. In some registers both the left and right hand pages have the same number, so it may be necessary to search both for the name being sought. To obtain the name of the ship refer to the top of the page or rewind back several pages to the start of that particular passenger list, where details of the ship's name, port and date of departure and port and date of arrival are usually given.
Explanatory Notes
- ? indicates there is doubt about the entry due to difficulty in interpreting handwriting refer to the See Also entries for other possibilities
- Check all possible spelling variants as names appear as written in the original record
- Some given names are abbreviated as they appear in the original record
- Mc and Mac names are interfiled
- - or a blank cell indicates that there is no information recorded in the original
- Names have been indexed without an apostrophe e.g. ODWYER
How to order Individual Entries
Search the Indexes
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Costs and Ordering
The cost for each ship requested is $12.50. For this fee you will receive a copy of the entire passenger list.
Please quote the Name of the Ship and date of voyage, Location, page number and microfilm number.
To order copies of an item, click here for an order form.


