Writing the coastline of Australia: Emigrants' Diaries and 'The Long Looked For Shores'

Abstract

The danger and deprivation of the voyage to Australia made the nineteenth-century emigrant's first sight of land particularly sweet. In the days of sail; emigrant ships took on average three months to complete the voyage from Britain to Australia. To be sure, the ships carrying emigrants to Australia had a far better safety record than those on the North American route, which was not controlled by the British government, but nonetheless during these months passengers were well aware of the possibility of their ship's being sunk by icebergs, gutted by fire, or swept by fever. At the very least, these people were deprived of fresh food, fresh water, and fresh company; they had been becalmed on the equator and battened below deck in storms close to the Antarctic. As the months wore on, the emigrants' desire and impatience to catch a glimpse of their new homeland understandably intensified.