In many homes in Australia, you will find a bookcase, a mantelpiece or a shelf with a display of family photographs. These small intimate galleries chronicle the individuals, both young and old, who populate the family tree, sometimes the images reach back two or three generations.

One of these photos may be of a relative who embarked on a long and difficult journey to Australia, helping make possible the life the family has today. When you look at the picture of an ancestor, someone who may have spoken a different language, eaten different food and worn different clothes, it invites you to wonder why they decided to leave their home, and what it was like for them to arrive in a strange new country. What were the hopes and fears that motivated them to change their lives in such a dramatic way?  

Stories of migration are very much part of our national experience. The most recent Australian Census, conducted in 2021, tells us that more than half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. Coming from all parts of the globe, these migrants help make Australia one of the most diverse nations in the world.

The National Library of Australia is a place where migration stories can be found and retold for future generations. The books, magazines, paintings, documents, letters, drawings and photographs held by the Library provide a storehouse of memories for all Australians to cherish.

Hopes and Fears: Australian Migration Stories, running from 26 July 2024 to 2 February 2025, celebrates the people who have made those journeys. 

Eighteenth century style map showing notable features and buildings around a cove, and artistic text underneath reading 'Sketch & Description of the Settlement at Sydney Cove Port Jackson in the County of Cumberland;

Francis Fowkes, R. Cribb and Samuel John Neele, Sketch & description of the settlement at Sydney Cove Port Jackson in the County of Cumberland taken by a transported convict on the 16th of April, 1788, which was not quite 3 months after Commodore Phillips's landing there, 1789, nla.obj-230578175

Black and yellow uniform made up of a long-sleeve button up jacket on a mannequin

Convict uniform and two caps [realia], 1830, nla.cat-vn2398685

Poster with pictures of a man, woman and two children on luggage with a tag reading '10 pounds takes you to Australia' and 'Children under 19 go FREE!'

Australia House (London, England), issuing body, £10 takes you to Australia : children under 19 go free!, 1960, nla.obj-1107337919

Artistic poster with an Australian Aboriginal flag, stylised photos of First Australians, and serveral short paragraphs of text. The largest text in the top left corner reads 'Tall Ships Tall Stories'

Amanda Holt, June Gemes and Elaine Pelot-Kitchener, Tall ships, tall stories : resistance : every day since 1788, and still in active resistance in 1988!!!, 1987, nla.cat-vn8418095

Man and woman of Middle Eastern heritage sitting on the floor, holding and looking at a rug with a map of Afghanistan and it's landmarks

June Orford, Fatah and Makai Mohmand with a carpet, one of the few personal possessions brought with them from their homeland, Kabul, Afghanistan, 2005, nla.obj-137061592

Poster with man in casual dress with his arms spread in welcome in front of a rising sun and text reading 'To Austraila for 37 pounds'

R.T. Roussel and Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, To Australia for £37, 1921, nla.obj-136513463

Small red christening gown with black buttons down the centre

Christening gown worn by members of the Kwong family from the Papers of the Kwong family, 1891-2001, nla.cat-vn3006822

Blue and yellow poster with a stylised photo of a group of young women, and text reading 'We are proud to be wogs!'

We are proud to be Wogs! [picture] / A Girls in Print Project designed & printed by Ethnic Girls School-leavers, 1983, nla.cat-vn5016725

Colourful program with watercolours of people in colurful outfits and a list of performers and their performances

Welcome to Bonegilla, [programme presented to the Honourable Arthur Calwell, Minister for Immigration, July 1st 1949], nla.obj-137191016

Red Lebanese Tarboosh/Tarboush hat with a black tassel

Lebanese Tarboosh/Tarboush, c1890 worn by Anthony George Wehby when migrating to Australia from the Records of the Australian Lebanese Historical Society, 1890-2015, nla.cat-vn6929220

Exhibition Themes

Hopes and Fears: Never ceded
First Nations man dressed in colonial naval attire standing on a beach with a large ship not far from the shore

First Australians have lived on the Australian continent for more than 65,000 years. They did not cede the land that the British claimed, and they continue to assert their sovereignty.

Hopes and Fears: The colonies
Map of Australia with detail regarding British settlements in New South Wales and bays around the coast

What started as a series of precarious British outposts eventually grew to become six self-governing colonies which claimed the entire continent.
Hopes and Fears: Gold and exploration
Painting of men using various tools to dig for gold. In the background, dozens of white tents are pitched on the grassy slopes on either side

The discovery of gold at Ophir, New South Wales, and at Clunes, Victoria, in 1851 marked the beginning of Australia’s goldrushes.
Hopes and Fears: An outpost of the British race
World map with arrows showing migration of people from Europe and Asia to Australia and the Americas. The key text at the top reads 'The flow of population The average yearly migration from Europe during the 5 years ending June 1912, was 910,570 Where did they go?'

The lead-up to Federation in 1901 centred around desire for a ‘white’ national identity.
Hopes and Fears: Selling a dream
Painting of a young woman in a blue dress and white bonnet smiling, sitting on a grassy hill, next an outline of Australia with a photo of a farm inside. Above, text reads 'Australia: The land of sunshine, health and prosperity'

After Federation in 1901 competition for British migrants was fierce.
Hopes and Fears: Becoming Australian
Woman with short grey hair smiling at the camera as she spreads food in a foil-lined tray in the kitchen of a restaurant

During the later years of the Second World War, the Australian Government began planning for an expanded immigration program.
Hopes and Fears: Refugees
Two boats with rope hanging between them filled with men, women and children coming from Vietnam

Australia’s humanitarian program continues today, with refugees arriving from countries such as Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
Hopes and Fears: Our collecting
Man in striped button up shirt tucked into dark pants looking at newspapers in various languages at a kiosk on the street

The Library works with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to create a lasting record of their experiences in Australia.
Hopes and Fears: Soundtrack
Group of men and women wearing traditional Polish clothing playing various instruments and smiling

Original and traditional musical compositions performed by migrants, refugees and their descendants from the Library's Oral History collection.
Hopes and Fears: Oral histories
Two men, one standing on a ladder and one holding it steady, looking up at a mural they painted depicting several men holding up an Australian flag

There are hundreds of individual interviews of people who have migrated to Australia in the Library's Oral History and Folklore collection.

Acknowledgements

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples — the First Australians — as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders — past and present — and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are advised that this exhibition contains images and names of deceased people. Please also be aware that you may see certain words or descriptions in the exhibition which reflect the attitudes of the period in which the item was created and may now be considered offensive. If you have concerns or queries, please email: exhibitions@nla.gov.au 

Hopes and Fears: Australian Migration Stories is a National Library of Australia exhibition. 

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The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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