Russians in Australia
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
18,278 (by birth, 2011) 74,317 (by ancestry, 2011) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Melbourne, Sydney | |
| Languages | |
| Russian, Australian English | |
| Religion | |
| Russian Orthodox, Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ukrainian Australians, Jewish Australians |
Russian Australians comprise Australian citizens who have full or partial Russian heritage or people who emigrated from Russia and reside in Australia.
In 1807 the sloop Neva sailed to Port Jackson, under the command of Captain lieutenant Ludwig von Hagemeister, where it loaded provisions on its way to Russian America. As this was the first Russian vessel to travel to the Australian mainland, this is occasionally considered the start of relations between Australian colonies and Russia.
Contacts continued in 1820 when the Russian ships Vostok (meaning 'East'), and the Mirny (Peaceful), under the command of captains Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, visited Port Jackson. They sought provisions and repairs on several occasions during an expedition to explore Antarctica that Tsar Alexander I had promoted. Until the middle of the 19th century, only a few dozen Russians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Finns and other émigrés from the Russian empire were resident in Australia, which was still a part of the British Empire.
Russian ships visited Australia throughout the 19th century and a number of Russian seamen absconded from their ships to settle permanently in Australia. Religious sects, including the Mennonites and Doukhobors, made plans to send up to 40,000 settlers to Australia and New Guinea but after much debate in the Russian press, and 2,000 applications to emigrate, this mass emigration did not materialise.
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