Maritime Melting Pot - Indian Ocean Cultures

The first steam ship to visit Western Australia was the warship HMS Driver during a world cruise back in the early 1840s. Nonetheless, the settlement of WA began during the era of sail, and travel to and from the colony continued under sail for decades after HMS Driver’s visit. Modern depictions of travel, experienced by migrants, in the era of sail frequently highlight the hardships, such as seasickness, outbreaks of disease and, of course, shipwreck. However, the voyage out from England, for example, which may have lasted from as few as 80 to as many as 100 days, held a lot of excitement for a ship’s passengers. There were the sights of sea and sky in all their moods, the visit to exotic ports en route and the fact that, for many people, the voyage was the longest break from home and work routines that they would ever experience in their lives. The food, which was not all salt meat, hard tack and draughts of lime juice, was comparable to what was consumed on shore and usually came in reasonable quantities. Even after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, 40 years after the founding of the Swan River Colony, most migration to WA continued under sail. In the late 1800s sail was phased out and the steamship reigned supreme.