“Woke up feeling rather queer. Change of air & food has given all of us diarrhoea. Been sick nearly all day; with the exception of a mutton chop all has found its way to sea. Wind dead against us all day have therefore made no way at all.” 4th day sailing from England to Australia in […]
29th September 1878 – 3rd day
“Arthur & myself up at 3.30 to see the sheets hung up and the last of the tug which left us at 5.30. Saw the sun rise & had a cup of hot coffee which did us both good as it was rather cool out. Hot roast beef for breakfast. Today is a perfect calm & […]
28th September 1878 – 2nd day
“After a good sleep in our not so spacious bedroom (12ft x 6ft) to hold by the bye (the guv’nor, Arthur & myself) we got up at 5.45 not to feed the fishes or to catch the worms, but to see us weigh the anchor before starting which we did at 6.20. We had 2 […]
1st day on board – 27th September 1878
“We started from the Blackwall pier (East India Docks) at 1.30pm & after a short farewell & a pleasant little trip we arrived at Gravesend at 3.45 where we stopped for the night. Arthur & I went on shore for a couple of hours to see his father off & to take our last glass […]
Antique Journal – Voyage to Australia in 1878
I came across this antique journal which had been hand written by a Mr A.S.A. Whelen about 140 years ago. A.Whelan was a second-class passenger aboard the iron clipper Hesperides that departed London on the 27th September 1878 sailing for Australia to arrive in Melbourne 93 days later on 28th December 1878. The account of the voyage […]
Duck Billed Platypus
Duck Billed Platypus are shy creatures, so seeing one in the flesh when in the Australian outback makes it all the more remarkable and special! When I lived in northern NSW I’d go down to the creek in the early morning or late evening with the children and we’d stand on the wooden bridge scanning the […]
