Black rats (Rattus rattus) are human kinds greatest pest, having invaded all inhabited continents and being responsible for massive good production loses, the transmission of human and animal diseases and many extinction events. Black rats are genetically and systemically diverse with numerous instances of independent human-mediated range expansions, including into Australia after European contact. We analysed the patterns of genetic diversity in black rats across their global range to establish the invasion history of black rats in Australia. Two major mitochondrial lineages are present in Australia with but with differing geographic distribution patterns. We estimated the minimum number of populations that contributed black rats from the mitochondrial data. Analysis of microsatellite allele frequencies within Australia suggests that populations are geographically structured but that mitochondrial ancestry does not predict population membership. Comparison with populations from Asia, the original range of the black rat group, strongly suggests mitochondrial lineage capture prior to global range expansion, a result that is confirmed with genomic scale data. We discuss the implications of lineage capture for the invasive properties of black rats.