<P> Between the period of 1947 to 1971, Australia's Italy - born numbered 289,476 and most Italian migrants came from Sicily, Calabria and Veneto and settled in metropolitan areas . </P> <P> Italian Australians have a low rate of return migration to Italy . In December 2001, the Department of Foreign Affairs estimated that there were 30,000 Australian citizens resident in Italy . These are likely to be largely returned Italian emigrants with Australian citizenship, and their Italian - Australian children . </P> <P> Italians have been arriving in Australia in a limited number since before the first fleet . Two individuals of Italian descent served on board the Endeavour when James Cook arrived in Australia in 1770 . Giuseppe Tuzi was among the convicts transported to Australia by the British in the First Fleet . Another early notable arrival, for his participation in Australian politics, was Raffaello Carboni who in 1853 participated with other miners in the uprising of Eureka Stockade and wrote the only complete eye - witness account of the uprising . Nevertheless, it is only since 1869 that the country witnessed the arrival of a number of educated individuals who had left Italy for non-economic reasons, such as missionaries, musicians, artists, professionals and businesspeople . This migration of northern Italian middle class professionals to Australia was spurred by the persecution from Austrian authorities--who controlled most of the northern regions of Italy until 1860--especially after the failure of the revolts in many European cities in the 1840s and 1850s . As stated by D'Aprano in his work on the first Italian migrants in Victoria: </P> <P> We find some Italian artisans in Melbourne and other colonies already in the 1840s, many of whom had participated in the defeated revolts against the despotic rulers of Modena, Naples, Venice, Milan, Bologna, Rome and other cities . They came to Australia to seek a better and more efficient life . </P>

When did the first italian immigrants come to australia
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