A disaster at sea or shipwreck on the coast left little hope for rescue – few sailors or passengers could swim, and there were rarely enough life-boats for the numbers on board. The use of candles or oil lanterns was restricted and sometimes forbidden – cramped conditions with timber, straw mattresses, hemp (rope) and tar caulking, meant a fire could spread with terrifying speed.

'Batten-down the hatches' meant passengers on the lowest deck were confined without ventilation or light in conditions that were ideal for the spread of disease.

Hygiene was poor at the best of times and worse in bad weather. Storms were common in the Southern Ocean, but were not the only danger. Life at sea was uncomfortable and often hazardous, particularly for passengers who travelled cheaply in 'steerage' (the lowest deck and below the water line). With the strong prevailing westerlies on the 'Great Circle' sailing route benefiting the clippers, sail continued to dominate the trade until the end of the 1870s. However steam technology was still too inefficient to allow a ship to travel all the way to Australia under its own power. With their streamlined hulls and acres of sail designed to catch even the slightest breeze, clippers were built primarily for speed.īy the 1850s it was possible to make the journey by auxiliary steamer, using a combination of steam and sail. These ships represented the pinnacle of sailing ship technology. In calm weather a sailing ship might take as long as four months, while a well-run clipper ship with favourable winds could make the journey in a little over half this time. Students and teachers may choose to use the activities and other resources as part of a unit of work incorporating an excursion to the Immigration Museum, Melbourne.ġ850s Sailing Clipper illustrated by Bill Woodįor those who travelled to Australia in the nineteenth century, the journey was often long and dangerous. Find out what departure and arrival meant for those seeking a home in this distant land. Discover the changing routes and travelling conditions experienced over the decades 1850s–70s, 1900s–20s, 1940s–60s and 1970s–2000s. This website and the online exhibition Station Pier: Gateway to a New Life celebrate the journeys that changed Australia forever.Įxplore the journey through immigrants' stories. They ended at a number of ports around Australia, in particular Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. These journeys were accompanied by feelings of sadness, excitement, fear and hope. They came by clipper, steamer and liner until the aeroplane became established as the main means of long distance travel in the 1970s. Since 1788, millions have made the long journey across the oceans to Australia seeking fortune, opportunity and freedom. Immigration is a vital feature of Australia's history and national identity.

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