“Up at 7.30. Fine day but doing very little in the way of pace. Joey caught a large Cape Hen this morning, it measured 6ft 6” from wing to wing. One of the sailors skinned it & a pretty object it looked afterwards, no meat at all hardly; but still the men are going to try it cooked.

Nothing much doing today so after a game of cards I turned in to bed at 9 & was soon asleep.”

Extract from an old travel journal written by A.Whelen’ when sailing aboard the Hesperides in 1878 from England to Australia