By the 1880s, thousands of British men and women were leaving behind lives of hardship in both the cities and the countryside, drawn by the promise of a new beginning across the world. For many in the industrial towns and crowded streets of places like London, Birmingham, and Manchester, poverty, overcrowding, and uncertain work offered little hope for the future. In the rural counties, agricultural labourers faced a different but equally harsh struggle — low wages, tied cottages, and the steady decline of farm employment as machines replaced men.
Australia, still a land of young and growing colonies, was eager for people to help build its farms, railways, and towns. To attract settlers, the colonial governments introduced assisted passage schemes, offering free or reduced-cost travel to families and skilled workers of good health and character. Posters and pamphlets distributed throughout Britain painted an enticing picture — fertile land, steady work, bright sunshine, and a fair reward for honest effort. For many, the thought of owning a piece of land or giving their children a healthier, more hopeful start in life was irresistible.
Though the voyage to Australia was long and often uncomfortable, the dream of opportunity and independence drew thousands to take that leap of faith — leaving behind all they had known in search of a better life beneath southern skies. Among those who answered that call were Horace and Louisa (Keeley) Hills, and their two young children, whose journey from London to Australia tells the very human story behind this great movement of people.
Assisted Passage Schemes
The most important tool was the Assisted Passage or Assisted Immigration scheme.
These programs offered reduced-fare or free passages to approved migrants — usually people under 45 years of age, of good health and character, and with skills in demand.
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Who they wanted:
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Agricultural labourers and farm hands
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Domestic servants (particularly single women)
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Tradesmen such as carpenters, bricklayers, blacksmiths, and miners
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Shepherds and rural workers for large stations in the outback
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How it worked:
Applicants applied through colonial immigration offices based in London, Liverpool, or Glasgow. Recruitment agents assessed their fitness, health, and references before placing them on a list for assisted travel. The cost of passage — often £12–£15 for an adult steerage ticket — could be partly or entirely covered by the colonial government. -
Example:
The Queensland Immigration Act (1864) and later legislation offered free or subsidised passages to agricultural labourers and domestic servants. By the 1880s, similar programs were in place across the colonies, though the scale varied depending on local labour shortages and economic conditions.
Emigration Agents and Recruitment Campaigns
Each colony maintained official Emigration Agents in Britain, whose role was to publicise the opportunities available overseas.
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Offices were established in London, Dublin, and Edinburgh, with smaller agencies in industrial towns like Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow.
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Agents distributed colourful posters, pamphlets, and handbills proclaiming the colonies as lands of opportunity:
“To the Industrious and the Honest: Australia Offers Reward for Labour and a Healthy Climate for the Family.”
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Emigration lectures were held in church halls and Mechanics’ Institutes, often accompanied by lantern-slide shows depicting farms, homesteads, and golden beaches.
These campaigns were carefully designed to appeal to families struggling in overcrowded industrial districts. The message was simple: work hard, and you will prosper.
The Promise of Land and Employment
Land was the great lure.
Many colonies introduced “Land Selection Acts” or “Homestead Laws” that allowed settlers to obtain small holdings cheaply or even free, provided they lived on and improved the property.
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In Queensland and Victoria, settlers could take up between 40 and 320 acres under “selection before survey” systems.
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In South Australia, similar opportunities were promoted under closer settlement schemes.
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Even where land was not immediately available, there was steady demand for labour — building roads, railways, and ports, or working on sheep and cattle stations.
The promise of steady work and room to breathe contrasted sharply with the crowded tenements of East London or the Midlands’ factories.
Women and Family Migration
The colonies were heavily male-dominated in the mid-19th century, so they placed particular emphasis on attracting women and families to create balanced, stable communities.
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Domestic servants were in such demand that single women of good health and character were often granted free passages.
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Colonial officials believed that encouraging family migration would help build “respectable” society and reduce crime and vice.
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Charitable organisations such as the Female Middle Class Emigration Society and the British Women’s Emigration Association worked alongside colonial agents to identify suitable candidates.
The Voyage as Part of the System
Even the ships themselves became part of the recruitment image.
Large shipping companies such as the Orient Line, Aberdeen Line, and P&O were contracted by the colonial governments to carry assisted migrants. Ships were inspected to ensure minimum standards for sanitation and accommodation, though conditions in steerage still remained basic. Medical officers were employed, and emigrant families were often grouped together to preserve moral order and discipline during the voyage.
Public Attitudes and Imperial Pride
Behind all this was a broader imperial ideology. British politicians and newspapers supported emigration as a way to relieve poverty at home while strengthening the Empire abroad. Settlers were told they were helping to build “Greater Britain” — a network of prosperous, English-speaking societies under the Crown.
To the emigrants themselves, however, it was often less about empire and more about survival: a chance to escape poverty, overcrowding, and hopelessness, and to offer their children a chance at a better future.
Results
By the end of the 1880s, assisted immigration had brought hundreds of thousands of British settlers to Australia.
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Between 1880 and 1890, an estimated 250,000–300,000 assisted migrants arrived from the UK.
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Many settled in New South Wales and Victoria, while others spread north and west as new railways opened the interior.
The schemes were not always smooth — recessions occasionally halted funding — but they profoundly shaped Australia’s demographic and cultural landscape.
Summary
In short, the Australian authorities of the 1880s ran what was effectively a government-backed recruitment campaign for people like Thomas and his wife: hardworking, decent, and willing to start again.
They offered cheap passage, land opportunities, and steady employment, promoted through leaflets and emigration offices across Britain. The effort combined practical economics — filling labour shortages — with a powerful moral vision of spreading British civilisation to the far reaches of the Empire.
For the families who answered that call, it meant leaving behind everything familiar and enduring a long sea voyage to reach a place they knew only from pictures — but it also offered the hope of sunlight, open air, and the chance to own a piece of land of their own.