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Australian Ethnic Groups, a Brief History

Australia is a continent of immigrants. The predominant ethnic group is Anglo-Celtic in origin, as the first convict-settlers in the late 1700s were from England, Ireland, and Scotland.

The gold rushes of the 1850s brought tens of thousands of fresh immigrants to Australia. The 'gold diggers' came from England, America, Germany, France, Poland and other eastern European nations. But the largest single group of prospectors came from China.

In the twenty-five years after gold was discovered, Australia's population quadrupled. This brought economic expansion and opportunity, attracting even more immigrants. Large numbers of new settlers came, including new immigrants from Greece, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Philippines, India, and Lebanon.

Australia's remaining indigenous peoples, known as aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders, make up less than 3 percent of the population today. Their communities are insular, each with its own customs preserved over thousands of years.