‘All the perils of the ocean’: girls’ emotions on voyages to Australia, 1851–1884

Abstract

Thousands of girls and young women migrated to Australia in the nineteenth century. Many were members of voluntary migrant families who were drawn to the colonies for new opportunities and a better life. Despite their numbers, these girls’ experiences of the journey have been little studied. This article examines several extant shipboard diaries, written by girls and young women aged from 10 to 22 who travelled from Britain and Ireland to Australia. These diaries, composed between 1851 and 1884, recount girls’ daily lives on board ship and lay bare their emotions as they journeyed towards a new life. Girls used writing and the physical form of a diary to work through and regulate the emotional upheavals and perils of migration. Graphite, ink and paper were employed to navigate loss, boredom, homesickness, fear and uncertainty. By centring girl-produced sources, this article gives voice to the often-overlooked migration experiences of girls and shows how analysis of age and gender draws attention to the emotions of migration.