Welsh Australians

Welsh-Australian
Awstraliad-Cymreig

Rolf Harris Notable Welsh Australians: Julia Gillard (top left) . Billy Hughes (bottom left) . Kylie Minogue (top right). Rolf Harris (bottom right) . Dannii Minogue . Naomi Watts . James Atkin, Baron Atkin
Languages
English and Welsh
Religion
Christianity (mostly Anglicanism and Presbyterianism)
Related ethnic groups
Welsh, Welsh Argentine, Welsh American, Welsh Canadian

Welsh Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in the northwest European nation of Wales (which is part of the United Kingdom).

Number of Welsh Australians

According to the 2006 Australian census 25,317 Australian residents were born in Wales, while 113,242 (0.44%) claimed Welsh ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry.

The name Jones, which is often considered distinctively Welsh, is one of most-common surnames in Australia, accounting for over 1% of Australians, which suggests a higher rate of Welsh ancestry than indicated by self-identification.

Welsh emigration to Australia

It is believed that the eastern coast of Australia reminded Captain James Cook of the coast of South Wales (especially the Vale of Glamorgan coast, which he knew), hence the name he gave to it, "New South Wales". The first European colony in Australia was in New South Wales, beginning with the First Fleet of 1788. Welsh people numbered amongst these first settlers, and continued to arrive in the new colony through the British policy of penal transportation that was implemented for many criminal acts.

A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade rebellion in 1854 was an early expression of nationalist sentiment. Amongst its leaders was the Welsh-born Chartist John Basson Humffray, one of a significant group of immigrants that came over from Wales at this time.

Mass emigration from Wales to Australia got under way in the early 20th century with New South Wales and Victoria being particularly popular destinations. It is also said that around 20% of the population of New South Wales are at least partly Welsh descented. In the early twentieth-century most of the Welsh settlers were farmers, but later on there was emigration by coal miners to coalfields.

List of notable Welsh-Australians

name	Born - Died	Notable for	Connection with Australia	Connection with Wales
James Atkin, Baron Atkin, known as Lord Atkin of Aberdovey	1867–1944	lawyer and judge	born Australia	grew up in Wales from age 4; always thought of himself as Welsh
John Beard	1943–	artist	now working in Australia	born Wales
Julia Gillard	1961–	Prime Minister of Australia	arrived Australia at age 5	born Wales
Rolf Harris	1930–	entertainer	born Australia	parents Welsh
Billy Hughes	1862–1952	Prime Minister of Australia	migrated to Australia 1884	parents Welsh
Dannii Minogue	1971–	singer and entertainer	born Australia	mother born Wales
John McCarthy	1967–	Australian rules footballer	migrated to Australia	born Wales
Kylie Minogue	1968–	singer and actress	born Australia	mother born Wales
Alf Morgans	1850–1933	Premier of Western Australia	moved to Western Australia in 1896	born Wales
Naomi Watts	1968–	actress	moved to Australia at age 14; grandmother was Australian	lived Wales age 7-15; mother's parents Welsh
Rhys Williams	1988–	professional association football (soccer) player	born and grew up in Perth, Western Australia; member of the Australian team (Socceroos) in 2009–2010	Welsh grandparents on his father's side; played for the Welsh under 21 team; also eligible to play for England or India, the countries in which his parents were born

See also

• Welsh Americans

Further reading

• Lloyd, Lewis. (1988) Australians from Wales Caernarfon: Gwynedd Archives. ISBN 0901337471