Western Australia has a fascinating history of migration. The settlement of large numbers of people from Europe and Asia as well as other parts of the world, has created a culturally rich and uniquely diverse society.
The first migrants in 1829-30 were mainly retired service men on half-pay, professional men with their families, and artisans and servants from Britain. The colony failed to flourish and population stagnated. Between 1848 and 1889, single women were sent to the Colony in what became known as the ‘Bride Ships’. Around the same time, young delinquents known as the ‘Parkhurst boys’ were sent to Western Australia to bolster the workforce. The population was further boosted between 1850 and 1868 when convicts were sent to the colony. Asian indentured workers were significant in populating the northwest of the State.
It wasn’t until the 1890s gold rush that the first major wave of voluntary migrants was attracted from the eastern states, southern Europe and around the world. With the need to feed the growing population, a variety of migrant schemes were created to bring market gardeners and farmers to the young State. After World War II, Western Australia experienced what was mass migration for this small population - people displaced by the ravages of war looking for a new life. Seaborn migration continued until shipping was overtaken by air travel. Today, Australia is the second most culturally diverse country in the world.
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