The voyage of the Misr

The Egyptian ship SS Misr arrived in Melbourne in April 1947 with 624 men, women and children on board. One of the first postwar migrant ships to dock in Australia carrying many non-British migrants, its arrival was met with unprecedented controversy, both for the terrible conditions on board and for the reported 'animal-like' behaviour of the passengers.

The arrival of SS Misr was a national news story. It exposed the deep-seated fears of Australians at the time, threatened by the settlement of so many Jewish refugees and migrants from southern Europe. To help allay public fears and uphold the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, the Immigration Department was adamant that no more than 25% of those on board would be Jewish, and that as many berths as possible be allocated to British subjects.

Letter from shipping agent to Immigration Department.
Cablegram marked 'Secret' to Trade Commissioner regarding nationalities of SS Misr passengers.
Newspaper article titled 'Brawls, filth on ship.'
Page one of incoming passenger list for SS Misr.
Alien registration form for Shalom Ashkenazi.

You may also be interested in ...

A crowd of people on the deck of the Nelly.

Migrant ships

Until the mid-20th century, many migrants to Australia arrived by ship. These are the stories of specific migrant ships and the experiences of their passengers.
Photo of Bas Wie from his registration certificate.

The White Australia policy

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, also known as the White Australia policy, was a discriminatory policy which limited the numbers of ‘non-white’ immigrants to Australia.
Joseph Assaf

Joseph Assaf

Joseph Assaf migrated from Lebanon in 1967 with no money, no family and no knowledge of English. He has become a pioneer of multicultural communication.