Finnish Australians

[2] The first person from Finland to arrive in Australia was Herman Spöring Jr. from Turku, who was part of the first voyage of James Cook that landed on the continent in 1770.

Despite this, they were particularly attracted by the income from the sugar cane fields and mining in Mount Isa, in north Queensland.

[citation needed] In the mid 1950s an economic crisis occurs in Finland causing a new wave of Finnish immigration to Australia.

One of the main reasons for leaving Finland, besides crisis, was Australia's reinvigorated assisted passage scheme.

The below table shows the number of residents in Australia that were Finnish-born or Australian-born with Finnish ancestry at different times.

A migrant camp located in Bonegilla, Victoria in 1954. Groups of immigrants were housed there until they were destined for a job and a place to settle with their families.
The Holy Trinity Finnish Lutheran Church in Canberra