Australia, Victoria, Coastal Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes passenger lists from 1852-1924.

These passenger lists record the name, age, gender, date, and start and finish ports for passengers traveling round the Australian coast. The original records are located in the Public Records Office of Victoria (PROV) in North Melbourne, Australia.

Collection Content
Passenger Lists may contain the following information:
 * Name of passenger
 * Marital status
 * Date and port of departure
 * Date and port of arrival
 * Number of children traveling with adults
 * Age of passenger
 * Occupation

How Do I Search This Collection?
When searching: It is helpful to know such information as your:
 * Ancestor's name
 * Ancestor's age
 * Ancestor's possible departure or arrival port
 * The year of migration

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the applicable "Date Range" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.


 * Take note of passengers with the same last name grouped together on the ship, they may be family.
 * Use the passenger arrival lists to locate departure lists which may give more information about your ancestor or his or her origins.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at the passenger list for everyone with the same name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person on the passenger list with the same name.
 * Your ancestor may have used a nickname or a different names at different times.
 * Titles associated with people on the ship list may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search the passenger lists to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have migrated on the same voyage or at other times.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Your ancestor may have traveled on a different ship than previously thought.
 * Search the passenger lists of other voyages that occurred near the approximated year.
 * Did your ancestor travel as a child? If so, sometimes names of children were not recorded. Try searching for a parent (or if parents’ names are unknown, search for someone of the same surname). The number of children traveling with the parents were often listed.

General Information About These Records

 * The ship list is handwritten on a pre-printed form
 * Included on the form are the name of the ship, and the name of the Captain

The Merchant Shipping Act of 1854 began the standard procedure of keeping official numbers for registered ships in the United Kingdom. It was later repealed, but several new Acts have been put into place.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:

"Australia, Victoria, Coastal Passenger Lists, 1852-1924" Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Public Records Office of Victoria, North Melbourne, Australia.

Top of Page