[5] The first Maltese immigrant (as opposed to convict or bonded servant) is thought to have been Antonio Azzopardi who arrived in 1838.

In 1916, a group of 214 Maltese agricultural labourers left for Melbourne aboard a French ship, due to arrive on the date of the conscription referendum.

When this became known in Australia, supporters of the "No" vote claimed that the government was importing cheap "coloured labour" to replace Australian workers conscripted for overseas service.

[7] Group and mass migration gradually picked up, first, to Queensland and, after World War I, to Sydney whose automobile industry drew many.

A significant percentage of the Maltese immigrants had intended to stay only temporarily for work but many settled in Australia permanently.

Giuseppe Ellul was a stonemason in Mosta before moving to Australia to commence a successful career in sugar cane and dairy farming in Mackay, Queensland.