A series of photos shared by Carmelo Gauci on ‘Old photos of Malta’ showed a time that has long gone by in Malta.

The photos depict many Maltese citizens leaving all they have ever known here in Malta to get on a ship, in search of better life all the way in Australia.

As can be seen from the photos many were in tears as they had to say goodbye to their loved ones. It was definitely not an easy decision for anyone, but it had to be made.  

Immigration to Australia was very common back in the 1960s.

In fact, many Maltese today still have strong roots with Australia. They were either born there and moved back to Malta or have family members still living there to this day.

Even though after the Second World War Malta became one of the first countries Australia signed a migration agreement with the Maltese were not always accepted in Australia.

In first part of the 20th century the Maltese and their features were often seen as a threat to white Australia and were even referred to as ‘black menace’.

Thankfully that all changed after the war and according to the 2016 Australian census, a total of 175,563 people living in Australia have Maltese descent.