Passenger records held in Brisbane

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Passenger records, such as passenger lists and passenger cards, can provide evidence of the arrival of a person in Australia and are therefore a valuable source of information for family historians and researchers. Passenger lists are arranged by the date, name of the ship and the port of arrival or departure. Unless you know these details your search may be very time consuming.

Passenger lists

The National Archives office in Brisbane holds inwards and outwards passenger lists for all Queensland ports, with those for the port of Brisbane dating from as early as 1852. Details of the passenger lists held for all Queensland ports are listed in the table below. Note that lists may be available as originals or as microfilm copies. Lists that pre-date the Archives holdings for individual ports may be held by the Queensland State Archives. Prior to 1924, passenger lists also included a list of crew.

Registers of passenger lists

Registers of passenger lists shown in the table below can help you determine which passenger lists you are looking for. Registers show the names of the vessels, number of passengers, date of arrival or departure and the origin or destination of the ship.

Registers of passenger lists held in Brisbane

Collection references
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Register of inwards/outwards Asian passengers  (available as microfilm) 1918–24 J3047
Register of passenger lists – outwards – Townsville 1924–65 J1501
Register of passenger lists – inwards – Townsville 1924–65 J1502
Register of passenger lists outwards – Brisbane, volumes 1 (1924–36) and 2 (1936–47) 1924–49 BP159/28, volume 1
Register of passenger lists outwards – Brisbane, volumes 1 (1924–36) and 2 (1936–47) 1924–49 BP159/28, volume 2
Register of passenger lists inwards – Brisbane, volumes 1 (1924–36) and 2 (1936–47) 1924–47 BP159/29, volume 1
Register of passenger lists inwards – Brisbane, volumes 1 (1924–36) and 2 (1936–47) 1924–47 BP159/29, volume 2
Register of ships passenger lists – inwards – Cairns 1924–52 BP273/3
Register of ships passenger lists – outwards – Cairns 1924–52 BP273/4
Register of ships passenger lists – inwards – Rockhampton 1924–62 BP358/2
Register of ships passenger lists – outwards – Rockhampton 1924–62 BP358/3
Arrivals register – coloured persons arriving in Queensland ports, volumes 1 (1924–44) and 2 (1944–59) 1924–59 BP384/10, volume 1
Arrivals register – coloured persons arriving in Queensland ports, volumes 1 (1924–44) and 2 (1944–59) 1924–59 BP384/10, volume 2
Particulars of coloured persons leaving the State of Queensland for parts beyond the Commonwealth, volumes 1 (1924–44) and 2 (1944–59) 1924–59 BP384/11, volume 1
Particulars of coloured persons leaving the State of Queensland for parts beyond the Commonwealth, volumes 1 (1924–44) and 2 (1944–59) 1924–59 BP384/11, volume 2
Register of passenger lists – inwards – Brisbane 1947–65 BP319/2
Register of passenger lists – outwards – Brisbane 1949–65 BP319/1

Ships passenger lists for Queensland ports

Inwards passenger lists
Title or description of record Date range Series number

Bowen (available as microfilm)

 1897–1963 J723
Brisbane  (available as microfilm) 1852–1964 J715
Brisbane and other Queensland ports 1965–74 BP264/1

Bundaberg (available as microfilm)

 1948–50 J733

Cairns (available as microfilm)

 1897–1964 J725

Gladstone (available as microfilm)

 1924–64 J717

Mackay (available as microfilm)

 1924–64 J729

Maryborough (available as microfilm)

 1929–50 J731

Rockhampton (available as microfilm)

 1898–1962 J727
Rockhampton 1966–70 BP659/2

Thursday Island (available as microfilm)

 1924–64 J719

Townsville (available as microfilm)

 1895–1964 J721
Townsville 1963–70 BP659/3

Outwards passenger lists
Title or description of record Series number Series number
Bowen 1897–1963 J724
Brisbane (lists for 1852–1911 are available as microfilm) 1852–1964 J716
Brisbane and other Queensland ports 1965–75 BP264/2
Cairns 1897–1964 J726
Gladstone 1924–64 J718
Mackay 1924–61 J730
Maryborough 1929–50 J732
Rockhampton 1898–1964 J728
Thursday Island 1924–64 J720
Townsville 1895–1964 J722

Ships passenger lists for other Australian ports

The Brisbane office also holds microfilm copies of passenger lists for the following Australian ports in States other than Queensland.

Collection references
Title or description of record Date range Series number
NSW – Newcastle – inwards 1865–84 C667
NT – Darwin – inwards 1898–1934 E1019
SA – Adelaide – inwards 1941–64 D5077
Vic – Melbourne – inwards 1924–64 B4397

The Brisbane office also holds the following records of arrivals to Queensland:

  • surface vessel passenger arrival cards for Queensland ports for 1948–50 (see BP26/1); and
  • nominal rolls of British migrants who arrived in Queensland under the Assisted Passage Scheme (also known as the Bring out a Migrant or Bring Out a Briton Scheme) for 1961–62 (see record series BP384/23).