Passenger arrivals and departures (1850 to 1925)

Database containing the names and passage details of approximately 1000 Aboriginal people who arrived and departed Western Australian ports between 1850 and 1925.

Disclaimer

Please be aware this database contains the names of people who have passed away. To maintain historical accuracy, names and descriptions have been written the same way they were recorded by the ship pursers. Some of the descriptive terms recorded are considered offensive today. AHWA does not condone this language and apologises for any distress caused.

historical photo of a steam ship on Fremantle harbour circa 1907

Photo: SS Charon in Fremantle Harbour, c. 1907. Like many of its sister ships, SS Charon transported passengers and cargo across Western Australia and international ports during the early 20th century. Passey collection of photographs, 006428PD: State Library of Western Australia.

The following database contains the names and passage details of approximately 1,000 Aboriginal passengers who arrived and departed Western Australian (WA) ports by a steamship or sailboat between 1850 and 1925.

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Each entry includes the following details:

Name
Description / Nationality
Gender
Place of departure
Date of departure
Place of arrival
Date of arrival
Vessel name
Date passenger list was recorded
References.

The database has been carefully compiled by Aboriginal History WA (AHWA), using research gathered from public records. It contains information drawn from passenger lists held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA), historical newspapers, WA police occurrence books and miscellaneous records. For an overview of records used please see the Source List below.

In putting the database together, meticulous research has been undertaken to identify unnamed passengers who were recorded in the original passenger lists using a racial description rather than their actual name. In these instances, you will need to refer to the ‘Description/Nationality’ field to match the person listed in the database to the person described in the original record if viewing these items.

The year range (1850–1925) profiled in the database is due to the availability of records, and other historically related events. For instance, the NAA collection only commenced in 1898; and many of the WA regional passenger listings cease in 1923. There is also a gap in the NAA record holdings between 1915 and 1920. Nonetheless, every endeavour has been made to fill in the gaps and include all Aboriginal passengers within the designated period, utilising multiple public records. It is highly probable, however, that not all Aboriginal names were recorded despite various shipping and merchant acts legally requiring shipmasters to list all passengers arriving at or departing WA ports. Furthermore, many records have been lost or destroyed overtime.

Background

Before the introduction of commercial flights, motor cars and certain railway lines, travelling by steamship was one of the only modes of transport available for reaching long distances. From the late 1850s to the mid-20^th century, state steamships operated regularly from all major WA ports, often carrying passengers, cargo, and even livestock at the same time, or couriering mail.

The main port operating in WA through to around 1900 was in Albany. From this location, two main routes were offered – the northwards route which took passengers generally as far as Geraldton, and the coastal route which sailed eastwards as far as New Zealand.

By 1900, the Fremantle port was upgraded to become WA’s main port. The two main routes operating by then were the ‘Nor’-West run’ and the Great Southern Route. The Nor’-West run operated between Fremantle and Wyndham, with stops at Geraldton, Shark Bay, Carnarvon, Onslow, Cossack, Port Hedland, Broome and Derby. The Great Southern Route sailed between Fremantle and Albany, with a stopover at Bunbury. Passage to all capital cities throughout Australia was also offered and to a broad range of overseas destinations.

Historical map from 1904 showing the WA ports and shipping routes available at the beginning of the 20^th Century

Not all people had equal access to board steamships. In WA, a number of restrictions were imposed on the lives of Aboriginal people which greatly restricted their ability to move freely. For example, Under the Aboriginal Act 1905, many Aboriginal people were detained on government settlements and reserves and as a result were generally unable to leave the premises, and Aboriginal children under the age of 16 were not permitted to board a vessel without written authority from the Chief Protector of Aborigines.

There were also restrictions associated with working on vessels. Females were prohibited from working onboard a vessel as were young males under the age of 16, and any ship trading with or voyaging outside of the state was off limits for employment for any Aboriginal person regardless of age.

Despite these restrictions, records examined for this project show that at least 1,000 Aboriginal passengers boarded a steamship in WA between 1850 and 1925. While the reasons for travel varied from one person to the next, records indicate that many Aboriginal passengers travelled for work, including men who travelled as station hands accompanying livestock and women who travelled as maids, nurses and servants. Some travelled as witnesses for court hearings, others were mere children who were forcibly removed from their families and sent to missions. There are also at least 100 passengers in this database who were escorted as prisoners to Wadjemup or had just been discharged and were journeying back home to their place of country.

Image: Excerpt from the Aborigines Act 1905, Sections 19 to 21.

Where to find more information

National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia (NAA) office in Perth holds the original passenger list collection, with holdings dating as far back as 1898 and as late as 1963. Both the J.S. Battye Library of Western Australian History and the State Records Office of WA hold microfilmed copies of the NAA material, although there are significant gaps in their holdings.

The records contain information about the passengers. The amount of information listed varies, but usually includes the following:

Name
Gender
Nationality/ Description
Date of departure
Date of arrival
Ship name
Ship tonnage
Ship master
Crew list
Departure port
Destination port

Find out more about the National Archives of Australia — Passenger records held in Perth

State Records Office of Western Australia

The collections listed below are held at the State Records of Western Australia (SRO) and can be requested via their online catalogue. All items can be viewed in person in the SRO reading room located on Level 3 of the State Library of WA building in Perth. Some select items, including Police Gazettes, are available in digital format and can be viewed online.

Passenger lists before 1898

The State Records Office holds records relating to the arrival and departure of passengers and crew from overseas, interstate and intrastate, particularly incoming and outgoing from Albany and Busselton up until the early 1900s.

Learn more about the Passenger lists

Police occurrence books

Police stations routinely recorded ship arrivals and departures in what were called ‘daily occurrence books’. The records are held in original, hard file format.

The Police Gazette of Western Australia

The Police Gazette of Western Australia provide details of criminal convictions and can be a helpful source for tracing ancestors that may have been imprisoned during their lifetime. Gazettes dating 1891-1921 onwards have been digitised and can be accessed via the SRO catalogue:

Learn more about the Police Gazette of Western Australia

Trove

Trove is an online platform owned by the National Library of Australia that provides access to digital collections from across Australia, including libraries, museums, galleries, the media, government and community organisations and more. Trove’s archived newspapers are a good source of shipping information. Historically, newspapers included a shipping column, sometimes called ‘shipping intelligence’. The ‘West Australian’ newspaper had a daily column listing ships arriving and departing Fremantle and other ports which sometimes included the names of arriving passengers. You can search Trove using keywords such as the name of the ship or the port that you are interested, or by key dates.

Access Trove collections

Publications

Western Australian Historical Vessels Register by Rod Dickson

The Western Australian Historical Vessels Register is a record of all the vessels registered in WA between 1856 and 1969. This was produced by Rod Dickson, Honorary Life Member of the Maritime Heritage Association.

Download the Shipping Register (1.3mb)

Steamships in Colonial Western Australia by Ronald Parsons (1973)

This book provides a comprehensive listing of steamships in WA and a detailed history of their presence in WA. The book is available to view at the J.S. Battye Library of Western Australian History.

Far From Home: Aboriginal prisoners of Rottnest Island by Neville Green and Susan Aguiar (1838-1931)

Information about Aboriginal people convicted and sentenced to Wadjemup can be found in this book.

Page reviewed 29 January 2025