OUR AIM has been to gather as many South Australian passenger lists as possible between 1836 and the 1860s.
STAGE ONE of this project (1836-1851)
has taken four years to complete.
We have over 3000 passenger lists,
most of which are now available for you to view.
CLICK HERE: http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/fh/passengerlists/Adelaide.htm

To celebrate the arrival of South Australia's first pioneers
in 1836 (170 years ago),
"BOUND FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
PASSENGERS 1836-1851"

was launched as a CD-ROM in Adelaide
on October 15th, 2005
This CD-ROM is available at GOULD GENEALOGY
Click "Advance Search"
then search by title: BOUND FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA
and by author: D. Cummings

The CD contains STAGE ONE of this project (1836-1851),
plus a searchable database for most
of the 60,000 local and overseas families
and individual passengers who came to South Australia
between 1836-1851,
plus a host of additional information
(individual names, ages, occupations, etc)
We also have REPORTS on many of the voyages,
plus 30 Ship Diaries

STAGE TWO of this project (1852-1865)
Because we also have a number
of passenger lists for ships
which arrived in South Australia after 1851,
and we understand how frustrating it is
when you're looking for missing pieces of your puzzle,
we have arranged for STAGE TWO of this project (1852-1865)
to commence. Hopefully it won't take as long.

However - to achieve this we need your help.
Do you have any South Australian passenger lists
(arrivals between 1852 and 1865) ?
Could you help by transcribing (typing)
some ship lists.
If you are interested, please email me
indicating which year you can/will do.
Scroll to the bottom of this webpage
for my email address.

CLICK EACH YEAR TO SEE OUR PROGRESS.
When the "little Aussie digger" disappears, that year is completed.

  1852 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
    Immigration for the year 20,789 with emigration at 16,475.
     June - Eleven ships arrived at Port Adelaide with 687 passengers
    returning from the Victorian gold fields.
    Population estimate December 31 - 68,663

  1853 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
    Immigration recorded at 20,128 and emigration 11,648.
    Population estimate December 31 - 78,944
  1854 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
    Immigration recorded at 17,258 and emigration at 5,467.
    Population estimate December 31 - 92,545

  1855 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
    Immigration for the year 17,211 and emigration 4,501.
    Population at census on March 31 - 85,821.
    Population estimate December 31 - 96,982



Between 1852 and 1856, the South Australian REGISTER Newspaper reported approximately 30 ships
had arrived in Port Adelaide with more than 6,700 Chinese passengers.
In 1855, political pressure led to the first restrictive Immigration legislation in Victoria.
This legislation imposed a substantial tax on Chinese people landing in the colony
and also limited the number carried in each ship.
To avoid the tax, ships carrying Chinese immigrants diverted to the South Australian ports of
Port Adelaide and Robe,
and for the next two years South Australia was the principal entry route to the Victorian goldfields.
Unfortunately we have been unable to access passenger lists for most of these Chinese immigrants.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF 74 SHIPS that brought these chinese to South Australia

  1856-1865

1856 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
Immigration for the year 9,525 and emigration 7,278. Population estimate December 31 - 104,708

1857 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
Immigration for the year 8,138 and emigration 4,909. Population estimate December 31 - 109,917

1861 - Ships arrived in Adelaide - approx. 200
Some 25 years after the first settlers arrived, South Australia's population had increased to 126,830.

  We have some passenger lists for this period.
To see 1866 onwards - CLICK HERE.

Any and all copyrighted graphics are acknowledged as of their respective owners.