UK
Boys at the forge, Fairbridge Farm
Children on the Asturias
A war bride walks down the gangway
Settlers in front of a bush hut
Throughout the early history of European settlement in Australia, migrants from the United Kingdom were viewed as preferred stock. From the 1920s, assisted immigration from the UK was organised in an attempt to develop farm land throughout the wheatbelt and South West of WA. Over 6,000 settlers were attracted to WA with the promise of riches to be made and the goal of strengthening British cultural identity in Australia.
At the same time, between 5-10,000 unaccompanied children from the United Kingdom were sent to charitable and religious institutions such as farm schools.
After the Second World War, Australia looked to the UK to boost its population. Migrants such as war brides and tradespeople were warmly welcomed. However the number of Britons wishing to migrate was declining, so the Australian government increasingly started recruiting migrants from other countries.
Source
State Library of Western Australia - Western perspectives
Migration in the last 5 years – focus on Western Australia
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