Black and White photograph, three passengers on the deck of migrant ship MV NAPOLI as it moves up Sydney Harbour. The Harbour Bridge can be seen in the background.

Migration

If your cultural heritage is from over the seas, then learn about how we collect, celebrate and share the diverse immigrant experiences that contribute to Australia’s vibrant society.

Nearly half of all Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas and since 1945 nearly eight million migrants have stepped ashore to infuse modern Australia with more than 200 different cultural and linguistic traditions.

The history of Australia is a story of journeys. People came across the seas searching for a place where they could belong.

They joined those who already belonged to the bamal (earth) and badu (waters) of Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

With them, they brought hundreds of different cultural and linguistic traditions. Their journeys were sometimes peaceful and sometimes violent.  

The Australian National Maritime Museum invites you to follow these stories that shaped this island nation.  

Do you have an immigration story to tell? Email us at Curator@sea.museum  

Blue Fishing Boat. Standing on board are the Lu family members who came to Australia from Vietnam as refugees on board the boat. They are scattering flower petals into the harbour in celebration.

TỰ DO

TỰ DO arrived in Darwin on 21 November 1977 with 31 Vietnamese refugees crowded on board. Their hopes for a better life in Australia were echoed in the vessel's name, which means 'freedom'.

The first 'boat people' fled the turmoil of South Vietnam in simple coastal fishing craft, often unsuited to a long ocean voyage. Their passengers were lucky, outpacing pirates in the Gulf of Thailand and surviving violent storms at sea.

Discover more about this vessel and the inspiring voyage of Tan Thanh Lu and his family.

Vessels at jetty along the museum waterfront

What's on at the museum

Black and white photo showing 2 men standing next to a wall which has the word Australia and the outline of a kangaroo drawn on it.

Coming to belong - Australia's immigration history

Australia is a land which has seen waves of migration. What was originally designed to be a unique British-based culture, separated both from its Asian neighbours and the marginalized First Nations communities, transformed over time into the multicultural society Australia is today.

A few frequently asked questions

From our education team

School programs and online resources perfect for school students learning about migration to Australia

Faces of Migration - Migration Stories

Migration Stories

View Faces of Migration portraits and discover the visually rich and raw moments shared by migrants and uncover the moving answers to profound questions.

Migration Stories, the museum’s digital experience, expands on the National Monument to Migration, highlighting the complex, challenging, and emotional stories that shape our national identity.

 

Australia’s National Monument to Migration

The National Monument is one of the museum's most important and visible tributes to our migration heritage 

Two people in front of the National Monument to Migration
Female in front of the National Monument

Find your Monument entry

Looking for a name on the National Monument to Migration wall? Use our search tool to find your or a loved one's name as well as their position on the wall. 

Find a name

Black and white photo on yellowed paper showing A young girl and a woman are pictured standing behind the railing on the deck of a ship. The girl wears a large bow in her hair.

We Are Many - Stories of Australia's Migrants

An e-book illuminating Australian History with voices and stories of migrants registered on the Museum’s Welcome Wall. 

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SS TOSCANA

These photographs were taken by the Australian immigration official John Hamilton Byrne in Trieste, Italy. Byrne directed an immigration office in Trieste that assessed refugees for potential migration to Australia. The photos are circa 1956 or 1957 and show migrants boarding the SS TOSCANA, a Lloyd Triestino vessel. While propaganda and staged photographs of migrants preparing to travel to Australia are not unusual, these are photos taken spontaneously. Byrne still was able to frame his subject well, and the slides provide an excellent, concentrated overview over immigration in the 1950s in the city of Trieste.

See more in the collection

Search our collection for immigration objects

The CHARLOTTE Medal, a silver disc engraved on both sides. This photograph shows engraved a fully-rigged ship, the sun is near the horizon line on the lower left whilst a crescent moon and stars are inscribed on the upper right. Above are inscribed the words 'The CHARLOTTE at anchor / in Botany Bay / Jany. th 20, / 1788'.

The Charlotte Medal

A rare object from the time of the First Fleet, the Charlotte Medal is a fascinating objects and possibly the first known colonial artefact. The many stories connected to it are fascinating, intricate and timeless. 

Staff

Tự Do Reference Group

The museum has assembled a group of experts and community representatives to support and guide its efforts around the refugee vessel Tự Do. The members meet twice a year to provide non-binding advice for preserving and presenting this unique migration object.  

  • Dr Dacchi Dang, Artist, Sydney
  • Dr Anh Nguyen Austen, Academic, Melbourne
  • Angela Wong, PhD Student, Sydney
  • Paige Taylor, Curator, Darwin
  • Nathan Pharaoh, Conservator, Canberra
  • Julie Ly, Businesswoman, Sydney
  • Dr Tran Nguyen, Doctor, Sydney