Starting a new life in Australia: Nineteenth century diaries of migrants from the United Kingdom
Among the Library’s collection are dozens of handwritten diaries by migrants who travelled to make Australia their home in the nineteenth century. Some have extensive reports of their voyage at sea, while others record their early years in the country.
Over the last few years, thanks to generous donations, the Library has been digitising many of these diaries so that they can be read online. Explore some of these diaries below.
Felton and Sarah Mathew
Making up seven volumes, the diaries of Felton and Sarah Mathew record their months at sea travelling to Australia and their years in New South Wales. This includes Felton’s surveying work in the Hawkesbury and Hunter District.
Felton and Sarah Mathew, Diary - Volume 1, 1832, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3403682645
Felton and Sarah Mathew, Diary - Volume 1, 1832, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3403682645
Hugh Hamilton
In March 1841, 18-year-old Hugh Hamilton set off from London to create a life for himself in Australia. Having settled on a property on the Lachlan River just west of Bathurst, the discovery of gold in the region changed his life even further.
The diaries he kept during this time detail his voyage to Australia all the way to his experiences prospecting, buying and selling gold, and issuing licenses as Gold Commissioner for various goldfields.
High Hamilton, Diary - Volume 2, 1851, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3419625246
High Hamilton, Diary - Volume 2, 1851, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3419625246
Mary Braidwood Mole
Though she first arrived in Australia with her parents in the 1830s, it wasn’t until the early 1850s that Mary Braidwood Mole began documenting her life in diaries. Living in what became Braidwood, named from the Braidwood Farm owned by her father Thomas Braidwood Wilson, these diaries offer a rare insight into the challenges and experiences of a female migrant in rural Australia.
Portrait in frame, c. 1850, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3419856378
Portrait in frame, c. 1850, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3419856378
George Randall
George Randall was a confectionery manufacturer, migration officer and orchardist. His diary details the voyage from London to Brisbane on the ship Planet in 1868.
George Randall, Diary of George Randall, 1868, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3396756064
George Randall, Diary of George Randall, 1868, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3396756064
Charlotte Waring Atkinson
Charlotte Waring, who is thought to be the author of the first children’s book published in Australia, travelled to Australia in 1826 on board the Cumberland. It was on this journey that she met and became engaged to her first husband, fellow author James Atkinson.
This diary details the first part of the voyage, from London to the Bay of Biscay between France and Spain.
John Sceales
John Sceales kept a very detailed log of his journey from Leith to Sydney aboard the North Briton. Starting at the ship's departure in August 1838, his diary details daily life aboard this ship, including songs that were sung in the evening, as well as the animals and other ships encountered, with illustrations throughout.
John Sceales, Logbook and diary of John Sceales, 1838-1842, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3183940717
John Sceales, Logbook and diary of John Sceales, 1838-1842, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3183940717
Jessie Couvreur
Jessie Catherine Couvreur is best known for her work as a journalist and novelist, writing under the pseudonym "Tasma". While she migrated from England to Australia as a child, this diary details her journey back to Europe aboard the Windward in her 20s.
Learn more about Couvreur and other female journalists blazed a trail in our Bold Types book and podcast.
Portrait of Mrs. Jessie Catherine Couvreur, née Hybers ("Tasma"), 1889, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148362079
Portrait of Mrs. Jessie Catherine Couvreur, née Hybers ("Tasma"), 1889, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148362079
Theo West
The diary of Theo West has short, almost daily entries describing his voyage from Plymouth to Sydney in the 1850s.
Jupiter just above young moon making whole circle distinctly visible... Sea peculiar bright blue & beautiful sparkle small rainbows frequent in dashing spray.
William Reay
William Reay’s diary records his journey from England to Sydney on the sailing ship Parramatta with his wife and daughter. He tracked their approximate location, the weather and daily happenings on the ship.
William Reay, Diary of William Reay, 1877, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3417933280
William Reay, Diary of William Reay, 1877, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3417933280
Emily Braine
Emily Braine was only 10 years old when she travelled from Liverpool to Melbourne on the Eagle. Her diary details her own health and that of her family, births and deaths aboard the ship, and encounters with other boats, sea life, and rough weather.
A ship in sight, another man died today. We witnessed for the first time a corpse buried in the great deep. The body is sewn up in a piece of canvass with a stone at the feet and it is slid along a plank into the water, what a sound beside the dashing of the water, the burial service is read. 2 deaths in a week, it almost frightens us.
Claudius Beresford Cairnes
Also going from Liverpool to Melbourne, though some years later, was Claudius Beresford Cairnes. His diary starts on 16 October 1860, three days before the ship he travelled on, James Booth, set sail.
Alberto Dias Soares
Alberto Dias Soares was a Church of England clergyman and church architect who came from England in 1852. This diary, starting three years after his arrival, documents his new life and work in Australia.
Alberto Dias Soares, Diary of Alberto Dias Soares, 1856, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3465930260
Alberto Dias Soares, Diary of Alberto Dias Soares, 1856, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3465930260
More to explore
Records of the Australian Federation of Women Voters 1920 - 1983, nla.obj-245104655
Ship passengers relaxing on deck, 1870, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-146719701