A brief visit to Dublin I recently spent a few days in Dublin. It was my first trip to Ireland; I was there for the wedding of a friend from Australia, Simon More, who has made his home there. He and his wife Michelle were … Continue reading 866 Company in Dublin 1916-1919
Category: Travels and sojourns
Arriving in Sydney 1855
The Fischer family, migrants from Germany, arrived in Sydney on board the sailing ship Caesar in March 1855. It was a different sort of arrival to ours in Sydney Harbour in 1973, having sailed on the Ellinis from Southampton. We had been at sea for … Continue reading Arriving in Sydney 1855
Eden: oysters and chickens
The Caesar made its first landfall in Australia at Twofold Bay, near Eden on the south coast of NSW. Ernst Middendorf's relief is palpable, and understandable in light of the length of the voyage that preceded it. Like generations of Europeans since then, he is … Continue reading Eden: oysters and chickens
Australian landfall, March 1855
The Caesar sailed south to Cape Town and then east across the Roaring Forties (latitude 40 degrees south), which seemed not to be roaring much that particular year, according to Middendorf’s description. Unlike the 10 day storm that we experienced crossing the Southern Ocean in … Continue reading Australian landfall, March 1855
Sailing south
The voyage of the Caesar wasn’t all misery. Ernst Middendorf does capture some of the wonder and romance of a long sea voyage in his descriptions. His favourite pastime was to climb into the crows nest and observe the world from high up. I think … Continue reading Sailing south
Forgotten tales 