About the records
Passenger records are a valuable source of genealogical (family history) information. Passenger lists are usually arranged by date, name of ship and port of arrival or departure. Unless you know these details your search may be very time-consuming.
Passenger lists for Victorian ports
The National Archives in Melbourne holds inwards and outwards ships passenger lists for the ports of Melbourne, Geelong and Portland.
Digital copies of the Inwards passenger lists for the port of Melbourne for 1924–64 (series B4397 – see table below) are available to view on RecordSearch. Microfilm copies of this series are held in all other National Archives reading rooms. For outwards passenger lists, or inwards lists later than 1964 you will need to search the original records. Lists for the ports of Geelong and Portland are held only for the years 1965 and 1966.
Please note: incoming passenger lists for aircraft arrivals are not held in the Melbourne Office. Refer to Sources in other offices of the National Archives, detailed below.
| Title or description of record | Date range | Series number |
|---|---|---|
| Inwards assisted passenger list – ships | 1921–37 | B4094 |
| Inwards passenger lists – ships | 1924–64 | B4397 |
| Outwards passenger lists – ships | 1924–44 | MP56/9 |
| Outwards passenger lists – ships | 1944–64 | B4400 |
| Inwards passenger lists – ships (Melbourne) | 1965–71 | B6542 |
| Outwards passenger lists – ships (Melbourne) | 1965–71 | B6543 |
| Title or description of record | Date range | Series number |
|---|---|---|
| Inwards/outwards passenger lists – ships (Geelong) | 1965–66 | MP905/2 |
| Inwards/outwards passenger lists – ships (Geelong) | 1966 | MP990/4 |
| Title or description of record | Date range | Series number |
|---|---|---|
| Inwards/outwards passenger lists – ships (Portland) | 1965–66 | MP905/3 |
| Inwards/outwards passenger lists – ships (Portland) | 1966 | MP990/5 |
Earlier passenger records
Passenger records for Victorian ports prior to 1923 are held by the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). The PROV and the National Archives operate a joint research centre in Melbourne, known as the Victorian Archives Centre. See Addresses of other archival institutions for details.
Sources in other offices of the National Archives
The National Archives has offices in each capital city. All research centres hold collections of passenger lists, both originals and copies on microfilm. The lists and registers in the table above are available on microfilm in each research centre, with the exception of the Melbourne research centre.
Further information on passenger lists held by the National Archives is available on the following pages: