Sydney, NSW, Australia Passenger Lists 1899-1954

Fort MacQuarie at Sydney Harbour.

Fort MacQuarie at Sydney Harbour. The Syren & Shipping Illustrated, 26 February 1908. GGA Image ID # 1470e44905

Passenger Lists available from the GG Archives from the Port of Sydney, NSW, Australia. Organized by Date of Departure, Steamship Line, Steamship or Ocean Liner, Class of Passengers, Route, and the Ship's Captain.

1899-04-28 RMS Orient Passenger List

Steamship Line: Orient Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin
Date of Departure: 28 April 1899
Route: London (Tilbury) to Australian Ports (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Albany) via Plymouth
Commander: Lt. A. T. Pritchard, R.N.R

Passenger List, Aberdeen Line TSS Sophocles - 1925 - Front Cover

1925-08-13 TSS Sophocles Passenger List

Steamship Line: Aberdeen Line
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 13 August 1925
Route: United Kingdom to Australia
Port of Calls: London to Brisbane via Tenerife, Capetown, Albany, Melbourne, and Sydney
Commander: Captain A. Ogilvy

1948-02-07 RMS Orion Passenger List

Steamship Line: Orient Line
Class of Passengers: First Saloon
Date of Departure: 7 February 1948
Route: Sydney to Southampton via Melbourne, Fremantle, Colombo, Aden, and Port Said
Commander: Captain C. Fox, C.B.E.

Front Cover, P & O RMS Strathmore First Class Passenger List - 24 August 1954.

1954-08-24 RMS Strathmore Passenger List

Steamship Line: Peninsular & Oriental Line (P&O)
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 24 August 1954
Route: London to Sydney via Port Said, Bombay (Mumbai), Colombo, Fremantle, Adelaide, and Melbourne
Commander: Captain A. G. Jenkins

Front Cover, Orient Line SS Orion Tourist Class Passenger List - 8 October 1954.

1954-10-08 RMS Orion Passenger List

Steamship Line: Orient Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 8 October 1954
Route: Vancouver BC to Sydney via San Francisco, Honolulu, Suva (Fiji), and Auckland
Commander: Captain A. E. Coles, R.D., R.N.R.

Sailing Ships at the Circular Quary at Sydney Harbour.

Sailing Ships at the Circular Quary at Sydney Harbour. The Syren & Shipping Illustrated, 26 February 1908. GGA Image ID # 1470e81515

Offices of the Sydney Harbour Trust.

Offices of the Sydney Harbour Trust. The Syren & Shipping Illustrated, 26 February 1908. GGA Image ID # 1470f2fbbf

Norddeutscher Lloyd Quay at Sydney Harbour.

Norddeutscher Lloyd Quay at Sydney Harbour. The Syren & Shipping Illustrated, 26 February 1908. GGA Image ID # 1470f3944a

Street Outside White Star Line Wharf - Sydney, New South Wales in 1907

Street Outside White Star Line Wharf - Sydney, New South Wales in 1907. | GGA Image ID # 14717de4a5

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. It is located on Australia's south-east coast along the Tasman Sea and surrounding one of the world's largest natural harbours.

Port Jackson, also called Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (part of the South Pacific Ocean). Widely considered to be one of the world's finest harbours.

⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip

Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).

What this means for your research:

Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).

How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”

Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏

Curator’s Note

For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.

It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.

If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.

📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.