Portuguese Australians refers to Australians of Portuguese descent or Portuguese-born people living in Australia.
Despite their rather modest number compared to the Greek and Italian communities, Portuguese Australians form a very organised, self-conscious and active community in many fields of Australian life. With a population spread over many parts of the continent, sporting teams, social clubs,"List of numerous Portuguese Social Clubs and institutions based in Australia (Portuguese)" radio shows,"SBS Radio – Portuguese " newspapers,"Portuguese Consulate – New South Wales" outdoor cultural festivals,"Portuguese Festival at Petersham, Sydney – Youtube" culinary feasts, and even a traditional ethnic neighbourhood, the ever-growing Portuguese Australians form roughly 0.26% of Australia's population in 2016. The biggest Portuguese Australian community is in Petersham, Sydney: but there are other communities around Australia such as Melbourne,"Portuguese Association of Victoria " Wollongong, Newcastle and Perth."Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Australian Government ""Portuguese Consulate – Western Australia " There are also communities present, to a lesser extent, in Perth, Brisbane,"The Brisbane Portuguese Family Center (Portuguese) ""The Brisbane Portuguese Family Center (Portuguese) " Adelaide, Canberra, and Darwin."Department of the Chief Minister, Northern Territory – Australian Government " (PDF) At the time of the 2016 census, there were 61,885 Portuguese migrants and Australians with Portuguese heritage living in Australia.
Portuguese cuisine has also made its way into mainstream Australian society, with the fast expansion and establishment of restaurant and fast food outlets such as "Nando's", "Oporto" and "Ogalo" proving extremely successful. The Portuguese "pastel de nata" is a very popular delicacy in Australia and is commonly found throughout the country.
One of the most high-visibility moments for the Portuguese community was in 2005, when António Milhinhos, a shopkeeper from Darwin, was awarded the Senior Australian of the Year Award for his outstanding charity works and continuous catastrophe relief since 1983."Australian of the Year Awards "
History
In New South Wales
On account of its economic situation from the mid-19th century to the 1980s, Portugal experienced above-average levels of emigration, with citizens migrating to its colonies or to richer countries in Europe, Australasia and the Americas. A wave of post-war immigrants migrated from Europe to Sydney, in particular the Portuguese, who settled in the inner-city areas of Petersham (sometimes considered Australia's largest Portuguese enclave) and Surry Hills. On account of its economic situation from the mid-19th century to the 1980s, Portugal experienced above-average levels of emigration, with citizens migrating to its colonies or to richer countries in Europe, Australasia and the Americas.
In Victoria Portugal’s links with Australia may extend as far back as the sixteenth century, predating Captain Cook's voyage to Australia by 250 years. Some evidence suggests that Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to visit Australia.
Three hundred years later, a few Portuguese were among the earliest settlers in Australia. Emanuel and Ana Serrão and their infant daughter arrived in Sydney in 1824, and moved to Warrnambool with their family in 1852. Few followed, and by 1901 only 86 Victorians were Portugal-born. Males made up 90% of the community.
The Portugal-born population in Victoria declined in the early twentieth century, and by 1933, only 12 were recorded in the census.
While the post-war migration boom had little effect on the Portuguese population of Victoria, the late 1960s saw the beginning of a dramatic increase in immigration. After the Portuguese colonial wars in Angola and Mozambique ended in 1974, and the former Portuguese colony of East Timor was invaded by Indonesian troops in 1975, more ethnic Portuguese immigrants settled in Victoria. The number of immigrants from Portugal also increased, from 131 in 1966 to 2,335 in 1986.
By 2016, 2,727 Portugal-born migrants were living in Victoria. The Portuguese community in Victoria today also includes people from the former Portuguese colonies of Macau, East Timor, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Angola, Goa and Brazil.
Members of the Portugal-born community today are predominantly employed as tradespeople and workers within the manufacturing and construction industries. Almost three-quarters still speak Portuguese at home.
The community is supported by organizations including the Portuguese Community Council of Australia, which serves as an umbrella organization for all Portuguese people in Australia. Portuguese language radio programs, language classes and sporting clubs help maintain the community in Victoria. Events such as performances by Madeira Folk Dancing provide an opportunity for the wider community to appreciate the rich, vibrant Portuguese culture."Immigration History from Portugal to Victoria "
In Western Australia Portuguese migrants from the islands of Madeira settled in Fremantle in Western Australia in the 1950s and established a fishing community which, by the mid-1980s, had grown to about 6,000 people, including their descendants. Since then, Perth and Western Australia in general have been a frequent destination for Portuguese students and skilled labor, and although no mass-migration has occurred, the Portuguese population is still prevalent in the state. John Da Silva, the founder and owner of Bell-Vista vegetables, one of Western Australia's biggest vegetable provider migrated to Fremantle in the Portuguese migrant wave to that area in the 1960s."Bell-Vista Fruit and Vegetables"
Portuguese Australians
Name Birth and Death Occupation Notes Isaac de Gois 1984– Rugby league player Portuguese descent Diogo Ferreira 1989– Football (soccer) player Portuguese descent Jessica Gomes 1985– Model Portuguese descent Moisés Henriques 1987– Cricket player Portuguese-born, Portuguese descent Stephanie Jacobsen 1980– Actress Portuguese descent Charles Kingston 1850–1908 Politician Portuguese descent Maria Korp 1955-2005 Murder victim Portuguese descent Madison de Rozario 1993– Paralympic athlete Portuguese descent Nicole da Silva 1981– Actress Portuguese descentDaniel De Silva1997-FootballerPortuguese descentGuy Sebastian1981 - SingerPortuguese descentJoel Adams (Né Gonçalves)1996 - SingerPortuguese descentJames Sorensen1986 -Model/ActorPortuguese descentNaomi Sequeira1994 -Actress/ SingerPortuguese descentKate DeAraugo1985 -SingerPortuguese descentDavid Malouf1934 -WriterPortuguese-jewish descentLisa De Vanna1984 - FootballerPortuguese descentJunie Morosi1933 -BusinesswomanPortuguese descentJosh Mansour1990 - Rugby league playerPortuguese descentJonathan Guerreiro1991 - Ice dancerPortuguese descentSophie Masson1959 -WriterPortuguese descentPriya Serrao1992 - Miss Universe Australia 2019Portuguese descentWilson Da Silva?Science journalist, writerBrazilian-born, Portuguese descentIrina Dunn1948 - PoliticianPortuguese descentAndrew Coelho1987 - Tennis playerPortuguese descentDanny Fulalo1994 - Rugby league playerPortuguese descentCorey Gameiro1993 - FootballerPortuguese descentIan Goodenough1975 - PoliticianPortuguese descentDiana da Costa Neves1987 -Basketball player.Portuguese descentDavid Pereira1953 - Classical cellistPortuguese descentPaulo Retre1993 - FootballerPortuguese descentLyndsey Rodrigues1981 - TV host, actressPortuguese descentChris Sebastian1988 - Singer/SongwriterPortuguese descentIvo Dos Santos1985 - Olympic judokaPortuguese-born, Portuguese descentR. A. de Castro Basto1898-1980DoctorPortuguese descent
See also Brazilian Australians European Australians Europeans in Oceania Immigration to Australia Petersham, New South Wales Portuguese in France Portuguese New Zealanders Portuguese in the United Kingdom Portuguese people Portuguese in Asia and Oceania Theory of the Portuguese discovery of Australia
References
External links Consulate General of Portugal, Sydney