This scholarly monograph investigates a relatively unexamined diaspora that traces its roots back to the Greek Aegean Island of Ikaria. Ikaria is a small, isolated island located close to the Turkish coastline.

It has a rich and independent history, characterized by times of autonomy and self-rule, including the short-lived Free State of Ikaria in 1912, which arose from the Ikarian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire.

Up until the nineteenth century, the people of Ikaria were quite insular, but they began to migrate during that era. The initial Ikarian emigrants settled in Ottoman port cities and urban areas, as well as on nearby Aegean islands.

Over time, Ikarians made their way to major migration centers such as Egypt and the United States. By 1910, the first Ikarians had arrived in Port Pirie, South Australia, marking the start of a long-standing tradition of Ikarian migration and settlement in that area.

This book explores the experiences of Ikarians in South Australia from 1900 to 1945—a timeframe that has not been thoroughly studied, in contrast to most research on Greeks in Australia, which mainly emphasizes the mass migration that took place after World War II and the Greek Civil War.

This monograph opens up avenues for future research on Ikarians in South Australia beyond 1945. The book is organized around four key themes: emigration, settlement, community development, and integration, while also examining ideas such as localism and identity as significant elements within these themes.