STRANGERS TO THE SEA 2
THE ACCOMMODATION "When the stress of farewells was over the emigrants gradually became aware of their surroundings ― of the billowing sails; the purposeful, agile crew, so unmoved by the departure; the cramped accommodation. The accommodation above all. Between bouts of seasickness it dawned on them that these few square feet of space were to be their home for months of travel, a home that would seldom be still. Products of their time as they were, it probably did not surprise the emigrants that life on board ship mirrored the class structure of Britain. The masses below deck represented the masses at home." (Don Charlwood, 1999, The Long Farewell , AD Reid, Kialla Vic, p.91) 5. Excerpts from Henry Mundy's Diary, England to Australia, Abberton , 1844 The Diary was written between 1909 and 1912, a lifetime after 13 yo emigrant Henry Mundy crossed oceans in steerage to reach Port Phillip in 1844. He writes, "I am now in my eightieth ye...