Australian Census 2011 demographic map - Inner Sydney by POA - BCP field 1204 Spanish Total Responses

Spanish Australians refers to

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 Aus ...

citizens and residents of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

descent, or people who were born in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and immigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. There are approximately 123,000 Australians who are of full or partial Spanish descent, most of whom reside within the major cities of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, with lesser but rapidly growing numbers in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

(which has over 15,000) and

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Of these, according to the 2011 Australian census, 13,057 were born in Spain.

History

In Victoria

Although Spanish seafarers began exploring the South Pacific in the sixteenth century, it was not until the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

of the 1850s that Spanish immigrants began to arrive in Victoria. The first Spanish restaurant was opened in

in 1860. By 1871, 135 Spaniards lived in Victoria, 80% of them men. Over the next two decades, the number of Spanish women arriving in Victoria tripled; a few more men also arrived. Despite a military coup in Spain in 1923 and the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

of 1936–1939, few Spanish refugees settled in Victoria. Immigration Acts passed in the 1920s restricted the entry of Spaniards and other southern Europeans. By 1947, the Spain-born population of Victoria was only 252. The Spain-born population dramatically increased from the late 1950s, following the 1958 Spanish-Australian migration agreement. The agreement provided assisted passages to Spanish migrants, many escaping poverty and hunger. The community in Victoria increased from 374 in 1954 to 3,143 in 1966. During the following decades economic improvements in Spain coincided with a slowing of Spanish immigration to Australia. The Spain-born community in Victoria today has declined from 4,067 in 1986 to 3,523, in 2016. The Spain-born community in Victoria is also aging: 45% of its population are between the ages of 50 and 75. Living predominantly in the

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

area, the majority are employed as professionals and tradespeople. The community is supported by a number of groups and organizations including the Spanish Welfare Centre (CELAS), providing counseling, community development and educational programs. Spanish culture in Victoria is further maintained through SBS and community radio and television programs, and publications such as The Spanish Herald.Immigration History from Spain to Victoria
"

Notable people

* Carlos Blanco, rugby union player * Josh Cordoba, rugby league player *

Alex de Minaur Alex de Minaur Román (born 17 February 1999) is an Australian professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of No. 6 on 15 July 2024 and a doubles ranking of No. 58 on 12 October ...

, tennis player (Spanish mother) *

Al Grassby Albert Jaime Grassby, Member of the Order of Australia, AM (12 July 1926 – 23 April 2005) was an Australians, Australian politician who served as Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia), Minister for Immigration in the Australian ...

, politician * Juan Manuel Fuentes * Elsa Pataky, actress *

Ellen Perez Ellen Perez (born 10 October 1995) is an Australian professional tennis player. Her career-high rankings in singles and doubles are world No. 162 and No. 7, achieved in August 2019 and in April 2024, respectively. She has won eight doubles titl ...

, tennis player * Nathalia Ramos, actress * Rosendo Salvado, abbot of New Norcia *

Holly Valance Holly Rachel Candy (; born 11 May 1983), known professionally as Holly Valance, is an Australian and British actress, singer, model, and a right-wing political activist. Valance became well known for her role as Felicity Scully on the Austra ...

, a singer (some Spanish ancestry on mother's side) * Isaías Sánchez, football (soccer) player and captain of Adelaide United in the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

from 2017 to 2019 * Miguel Maestre, restaurateur and television presenter - co-host lifestyle television series ''

The Living Room The Living Room was a music venue on Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was originally established on Stanton Street of the Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York City in 1988. The Living Room was co-owned ...

''. * Alyssa Alano, actress and model (Spanish biological father) * Jacob Elordi, actor (Basque descent)

References

{{Spanish diaspora European diaspora in Australia Spanish diaspora Spanish-Australian culture

History

In Victoria

Notable people

See also

References