PIONEERS & SETTLERS BOUND FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1836-1852 |
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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOWEMIGRATION TO SOUTH AUSTRALIAIn 1829, a group in Britain led by Edward Gibbon Wakefield were looking to start a colony based on free settlement rather than convict labour. After problems in other Australian colonies arising from existing settlement methods, the time was right to form a more methodical approach to establishing a colony. In 1829 an imprisoned Wakefield wrote a series of letters about systematic colonisation which were published in a daily newspaper. He suggested that instead of granting free land to settlers as had happened in other colonies, the land should be sold. The money from land purchases would be used solely to transport labourers to the colony free of charge, who were responsible and skilled workers rather than paupers and convicts. Land prices needed to be high enough so that workers who saved to buy land of their own remained in the workforce long enough to avoid a labour shortage.People from England, Wales, Cornwall and Scotland emigrated for many reasons. Whilst some fled from religious persecution, most left for economical reasons, especially poverty at home and the inducement of a new life abroad. Public lectures were held to promote emigration within the working classes, encouraging labourers, mechanics and artisans to apply for Free Passage to South Australia. Free passage was given to "suitable" labourers, generally men and women under 30 years of age who were healthy and of good character, expected to carry out a promise of working for wages until they had saved enough to buy land of their own and employ others, a process taking at least 3 or 4 years. The money from land purchases would be used solely to transport additional labourers to the colony free of charge, who were responsible and skilled workers. CLICK HERE to see a comprehensive list of those who applied for FREE PASSAGE to South Australia [both Successful and Unsuccessful]. In 1836, 19 ships are recorded as departing for and/or arriving in South Australia. By the end of 1836, the colony's population was estimated at 839 persons. In 1837, 78 ships are recorded as departing for and/or arriving in South Australia, including some ships who made the journey multiple times. By the end of 1837, the colony's population was estimated at 3,273 persons. In 1838, 172 ships are recorded as departing for and/or arriving in South Australia, including some ships who made the journey multiple times. By the end of 1838, the colony's population was estimated at 6,000 persons. By the end of 1840 the population was estimated at 14,600. 1837-1839: THE FIRST OVERLANDERS to SOUTH AUSTRALIAOn January 1st 1838 Joseph HAWDON departed Elderslie, in the Goulburn district in New South Wales, with 340 cattle, and followed the Murray River until they arrived at the Darling/Murray junction in 1838. Other overlanders followed the route, which became known as the Sydney/Adelaide 'highway', and the river junction spot became an established camp site known as Hawdon's Ford. Map of Bonney and Hawdon's Overland Trek in 1838-39. On January 17th Charles BONNEY, who'd previously had success in driving cattle south to the lush grazing country surrounding Port Phillip Bay, arrived with 1200 sheep and Joseph's supplies from Melbourne. From Lat.36:50 Long.145:20 they then commenced the serious part of the journey to South Australia, arriving Adelaide on April 3rd, 1838. Joseph Hawdon and Charles Bonney drove cattle overland from New South Wales to Adelaide. CLICK HERE to learn more about these early Overlanders who helped blazed the path from Sydney and Melbourne to the infant colony of South Australia.A TYPICAL JOURNEYExperience a typical journey on a passenger ship bound for the colony of South Australia. The journey of the ROYAL ADMIRALwill help you to understand how passengers lived onboard a ship and what they went through on the 3-4 month journey. Journey maps, ship's charters, and ration lists also present a picture of how your family might have coped on the voyage.
Click this map [c.1836] to see a map of Adelaide in 1839 which gives you some indication of how difficult it was for ships to come to Adelaide.
FIND YOUR FAMILYThis section contains alphabetical listings of families and individuals who came to South Australia by ship between 1836 and 1852.In the 1830s, newspapers sent a special reporter to each ship arriving in South Australia to list the passengers on board that ship from the Passenger List held by the Captain. The reporter's list was published in the next publication of the newspaper. More often than not, these published lists are the only source available of a passenger list for a particular ship. Where possible these lists have been compared with photocopies of the original handwritten passenger list (many of which are difficult to read). As a result, the information on some images may not be 100% accurate. Given the difficulty Agents must have had in understanding the people applying for a passage - they often could not read or write, and their language was often "broad" and hard to understand - and how difficult it probably was for the reporter to interpret the writing on the actual passenger list, it is often amazing to see how accurate (or how incorrect) these lists can be. Also included in this section are the details from the Register of Free Passages. This Register covers the period from 1836 to 1841, and lists the names of over 9,000 applicants (and their families if applicable), occupations and their address at the time they applied to come to South Australia. For the period 1836-1838, the details of the 1,535 successful applicants (and their families if applicable) who applied for Free Passage are included on the passenger lists for the individual ships. These records have been made available courtesy of the Australian Joint Copying Project with the Public Records Office London. PASSENGER SHIPS TRAVELLING TO SOUTH AUSTRALIAThis section includes details of all of the ships which brought passengers to South Australia between 1836 and 1852.Where possible, photographs of the ships have been included as well as links to ship diaries, reports and other available documents. PASSENGER PORTRAITS & HEADSTONES - Index of Passenger Portraits and Headstones contained within this CD.MAPS - Index of maps contained within this CD, dating from 1828 to the 1850s.1840 SA CULTIVATORS - Each Entry is connected to a PDF FILESA GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS 1836-1843EARLY SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERSView copies of newspapers of the Colony of South Australia from 1836-1838, and explore the early history of the South Australian newspapers.
KEY DATES IN THE HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIAA timeline of key dates that shaped the colony. |
