Migration

Middle class women came to Port Phillip District such as Katherine Kirkland, Georgina Macrea and Penelope Selby in the early 1830's to early 1840's. Jane Henty married to Thomas Henty came to Austraila in 1834, they moved around as squatters. The family were representive of the europeans who had taken part in the land rushes.

//Push factors are conditions in homelands of migrants that push them to leave for the new world.// The majority of migrants who immigrated to the Port Phillip District were from Great Britain. Poverty was widespread: - In England, poor living conditions, poor agriculture and expensive land pushed people to leave. - High land prices, rent and prices of provisions also pushed people out of Scotland. - The Irish faced inequitable land distribution and in 1846 and 1847 saw the beginning of a large-scale famine, giving people the option to emigrate or die.
 * PUSH FACTORS:**
 * Conditions in Great Britain:**

-** Soil quality was poor in Swan River (Perth), pushing people to emigrate to the Port Phillip District. - Land was unavailable in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), making getting ahead in life almost impossible.
 * Conditions in other Australian colonies:

//Pull factors were conditions or features within the Port Phillip District, which appealed to or attracted migrants.//
 * PULL FACTORS:**
 * Features of the Port Phillip District:**
 * There was much fertile land suitable for European farming and settlement, as first experienced by the Hentys in 1834 and first documented by John Batman in 1835.
 * There was much need of labour to develop the new settlement, meaning jobs were easier to obtain (than overseas). It was very possible to get ahead in life and to be prosperous, no matter what your beginnings.
 * The gold rush of 1851 brought a huge change to the Port Phillip District. About 159,000 migrants came to the area in the 3 years following the rush, compared to 77, 345 in the 17 years prior to it (Imagining Australia, p41.) For more on gold rush, see 'Gold Rushes' page.