Success

We have been successful! We will have assisted passage to Sydney one month from today. We sail from Birkenhead, which I am told is in the north of the country, across the river from Liverpool. I have many things to prepare before we leave, and I need to plan how we will travel to the ship.

Sarah and the boys are busy packing our possessions into boxes for transport. Some will go into the hold of the ship and are marked ‘Not Wanted on the Voyage’. Others, which contain clothes, blankets, cups, plates, forks and the like are marked ‘Wanted on the Voyage’.

I am not sure if we should sell our furniture and other goods, or perhaps leave them in case we return here some day. They have been in my wife’s family for many years. What do you think?

Should we sell our furniture?

YES

Assisted passage

Assisted immigration began in 1848. People who were considered a good addition to the new country, eg strong, healthy and with a trade, had their passage paid for by the government.

Birkenhead

Before the emigration depot opened at Birkenhead, ships for Australia left from Liverpool. Conditions were often poor in the town, and naïve passengers were often swindled, so in 1858 the government built a departure depot on the other side of the river at Birkenhead.

London had once been the most important port for people sailing to Australia, but when gold was discovered in 1851 a lot of the trade switched to Liverpool. Companies like Black Ball, White Star and Eagle used fast American-built clippers on the route.

Prepare

Most people saw the journey to Australia as a one-way trip and needed to sell everything that they had – which was often not much. The middle classes, who may have had livestock, homes and equipment, often found this especially difficult.

Before the beginning of official trading and banking it was often difficult to transfer money between countries. There were fears of theft and loss, and heavy commission was often paid on bills (similar to modern cheques).

Travel

If we need to get to a major port today we simply find out what time a train leaves the local station, then arrive at the port shortly before the ship sails. However, this wasn’t quite so easy in the 19th century. In 1858 there were fewer train services than today and they were much slower. John would probably have taken a third class London and North Western Railway train, direct from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street – a journey of about 11.5 hours!

Voyage

The Colonisation Commission advised travellers of the things they would need during their voyage, eg hot and cold weather clothing, a sun hat, bedding, eating equipment, a slop pail (a bucket used for waste and as a toilet). Travellers were often advised to buy these items in Liverpool – they would be cheaper than in the countryside and wouldn’t need carrying from home.

Items had to be packed into boxes and clearly marked with the owner’s name and if they were needed during the voyage. An extra charge had to be paid on large boxes that took up a lot of space. They were also more difficult to carry so were best avoided.