from past to present
So many Danes, many more than the biographies told on this website, have settled in Australia since the 19th century. The census in Australia, compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, gives us some indication of the number of Danes who have migrated to Australia (and in which states they settled) since 1871 up until the most recent numbers from 2011. We also have accounts from settlers who would write home to their families in Denmark or keep diaries, which give snippets of what life, particularly for the early settlers, was like.
The reasons for coming to Australia have been many. There were the many young men fleeing what became northern Germany after the Schleswig-Holstein wars in 1851 and 1864. The sailors abandoning ship on their passage through Australia. The prospect of finding gold in the 1850s and 1860s gold rush. The many who made use of the special government programmes put in place for assisted passage to Australia. And all the Danes who in more recent times have wanted simply to settle in Australia and make it their new home.
Follow the links below to read more snippets of information about some of these Danes and their lives in Australia during the gold rush, and pre- and post-war times. For more in-depth biographies, have a look here.
The reasons for coming to Australia have been many. There were the many young men fleeing what became northern Germany after the Schleswig-Holstein wars in 1851 and 1864. The sailors abandoning ship on their passage through Australia. The prospect of finding gold in the 1850s and 1860s gold rush. The many who made use of the special government programmes put in place for assisted passage to Australia. And all the Danes who in more recent times have wanted simply to settle in Australia and make it their new home.
Follow the links below to read more snippets of information about some of these Danes and their lives in Australia during the gold rush, and pre- and post-war times. For more in-depth biographies, have a look here.
Notes: Official census numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Also note that these refer only to first-generation Danes in Australia, not descendants born in Australia.