Australian Americans

Colonial Australia's Beginnings

The 1770 exploration and colonization of Australia by the English is credited to James Cook, captain of the HMS Endeavor. He was followed by Arthur Phillip, who became the first governor. Australia was an official English penal colony from 1778 to 1823; the last prisoners were sent there in 1868. In total, 162,000 male and female prisoners were transported, primarily from England, Ireland, and Scotland. The large number of prisoners sent to Australia provided cheap labor to create a colony and naval base, and reduced the population of an England experiencing poverty and prison overcrowding.

The first 780 prisoners arrived in Sydney Cove, known as Botany Bay, near Sydney, New South Wales, in 1780. By 1830, almost 60,000 convicts had been settled in Australia. Over 50,000 Irish convicts were sent to Australia between 1791 and 1870. Irish seeking a better life from the potato famine also immigrated to Australia. The Irish accounted for 25 percent of the population in Australia by 1870. A “white Australian” culture that was a blend of Anglo-Celtic cultures [Page 305]emerged. The Anglo-Irish brought Christianity with them, and the majority of Australians still identify as Christian.

Australians who came to the United States during the gold rush in the 1840s settled in California, largely in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. The promise of striking it rich and untapped economic opportunities lured 6,000 to 8,000 Australians to make the 8,000-mile, one-month voyage. Some of these voyagers included former convicts, seeking to leave Australia.

Anti-immigrant sentiment in the press labeled these Australians “Sydney Ducks” and blamed them for starting organized crime in the San Francisco Bay area. The California legislature tried to pass laws to make it illegal for former convicts to enter California. Many of these Australians returned to Australia.

In the 1870s, another wave of immigration began. The economy in Australia was good, and regular ship travel between Australia and the United States was possible. Between 1871 and 1880, 10,000 immigrants came to the United States. Until World War II, Australian immigration was insignificant.

War Brides

The next noticeable influx of Australian immigrants came after World War II. The United States had one million troops stationed in Australia during World War II, following the fall of Singapore and the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 Australian and New Zealand war brides came to the United States between 1945 and 1947. Since the war, about 2,000 to 3,000 Australians have immigrated each year.

Culture, Food, Sports, and Music

As Australians have assimilated so well into U.S. culture, evidence of Australian culture among persons who claim Australian descent is reminiscent of the Anglo-Celtic heritage of Americans of the same descent. The perceived personality of Australians is being laid-back, casual, sarcastic, brash, and individualistic. A media figure who embodies these characteristics is the Crocodile Dundee character portrayed by actor Paul Hogan, who was likened to the Davy Crockett folk hero of U.S. pioneer days. Dundee popularized a distinctive icon for Australian dress—the khaki bush hat with a wide brim.

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