I wonder why Basques came to Australia and the US

As I understand it, the Basques are world-renowned sheep-herders (sounds better than a shepherd of such renown, somehow) and there are Basque communities all over the world, who either still herd sheep, or got their start in an area in that line of work. I've seen Basque restaurants in the high Nevada desert, and been surprised to see them, until I learned that there used to be lots of sheep ranching in the area.

The town where the ferry from the mainland arrives in Newfoundland is called Port-aux-Basques

I read recently that the Basques were the first Europeans to discover the rich cod-fishing grounds off of Newfoundland, and maintained a quasi-monopoly on that supply, by keeping the location a secret, for decades. I learned this in a oddly fascinating book entitled Cod: the Fish that Changed the World. It's worth reading, if for no other reason than to see people's reactions when they see you're reading a book about such an obscure subject.