Norwegian Australians ( no, Norskaustraliere) are

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

citizens of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

ancestry. The majority of these people were part of the

Norwegian diaspora Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including th ...

History

An organised European

immigration to Australia The Australian continent was first settled when ancestors of Indigenous Australians arrived via the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea over 50,000 years ago. European colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of a B ...

was initiated in 1788. Most of the early emigrants were deported from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to the "Penal Colony". The most famous was probably Knud Geelmuyden Bull (1811 - 1889), from

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, a painter and forger of coins who was deported to

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smalle ...

. In 2008, 800 people celebrated the

Norwegian Constitution Day Constitution Day is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on 17 May each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to as ''Syttende Mai'' ("Seventeenth of May"), ''Nasjonaldagen'' ("National Day"), or ''Grunnlo ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. The 17 May celebrations in

have in recent years been considered to be the largest celebration of the Norwegian national day in the southern hemisphere. Lund (2012) has estimated that between 1870 and 1912 approximately 2000 Norwegians immigrated to Queensland out of an estimated 6500 who came to Australia during this same period. His study of Norwegians in Queensland, identified largely dispersed settlement patterns across the state, however there was one notable concentration - "The largest Norwegian agricultural settlement was found within a fairly limited area within the Darling Downs East census district, comprising flats and valleys bordered by the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. In particular, they made new homes for themselves on the rich soils surrounding the little town of Yangan; in nearby localities such as Swan Creek, Swanfels, Killarney, Emu Vale and Freestone. The Norwegian language was generally not retained for very long by these early settlers, in most cases only a matter of a few years. In reference to Scandinavians in Australia, Koivukangas (1986)Koivukangas, Olavi and John S. Martin. The Scandinavians in Australia. Melbourne: A. E. Press, 1986. posits that marriage to women of British heritage was a significant factor contributing to this decline and supporting widespread assimilation.

Students

Australia is one of the most popular countries for Norwegian students. Half of the Norwegian students in Australia and New Zealand are members of ANSA — the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad. The

Norwegian Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Norway, excluding honorary consulates. In countries without Norwegian representation, Norwegian citizens can seek assistance from public officials in the foreign services of any of the other Nordic countr ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

cooperates closely with ANSA Australia, and has for instance its own column in ANSA Australia's magazine "ANZA".

Notable Norwegian Australians

References

{{Ethnic groups in Australia Immigration to Australia European Australian

History

Students

Notable Norwegian Australians

See also

References