“Up at 8 after 3 hours sleep: it has been an awful night. The very worst we have passed since we left England. All night waves kept breaking over our house and making such a noise that it was totally impossible for us to sleep. Inside our house was lots of water & it reminded me very much of the seaside as it rolled up & down the room; then to crown it all at 2 o’clock in the morning our neighbour Smith began singing a hymn, while we engaged in Tommy Dodd & other rowdy songs of their kind.

Mrs W suffered too as she was pitched out of her berth once. However we are now doing about 10 knots an hour & the sea is still very high. Nothing fresh today as we are rather sleepy & Joey & the remainder of them are lying down for a rest. Bed at 11pm.”

Extract from A.Whelen’s Australia travel journal aboard the Hesperides sailing to Australia from England to Melbourne in 1878