Passages to Australia in 1879.

I have had considerable difficulty in finding any good passages to Melbourne or Sydney in 1879. It was a time of depressed freights and ships found themselves seeking cargoes in other than their regular trades. Thus we find the tea clipper Titania on the Melbourne run instead of going out to China. The Thomas Stephens tried a voyage to Otago. Salamis was still in the East seeking a tea cargo. Thessalus went to Calcutta from Penarth, whilst the poor little Cutty Sark had many strange and unpleasant adventures before she resumed her place in the Australian trade, which was not until 1883.

Of the other cracks Patriarch with 90 days, Miltiades with 88, Ben Voirlich with 87, Loch Maree with 94, Old Kensington with 96, Cimba with 91 and Thermopylae with 86 days all made poor passages.

“SOPHOCLES.”

Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney.

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The two rivals, Brilliant and Pericles, were the only ships to make Sydney in under 80 days from the Channel, and owing to Pericles getting ashore close to Plymouth and having to come back and dock and discharge her cargo, etc., the two ships eventually left the Lizard together.

Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed Cape (Otway)		Arrived Sydney		Days Out
Pericles	Lizard	Aug.	30	Sept.	25	Oct.	17	Nov.	10	Nov.	14	76
Brilliant	Lizard	Aug.	30	Sept.	27	Oct.	20	Nov.	12	Nov.	15	77

The best passages out to Melbourne were the following:—

Ship	Left	On		Arrived	On		Days Out
Sobraon	Plymouth	Oct.	3	Melbourne	Dec.	16	74
Mermerus	Channel	March	26	„	June	11	77
Titania	„	Feb.	21	„	May	7	75
Aristides	„	July	8	„	Sept.	23	77
Loch Vennachar	Clyde	July	4	„	Sept.	23	81
Ben Cruachan	Channel	June	5	„	Aug.	25	81
Loch Garry	Clyde	June	6	„	Aug.	27	82
Sir Walter Raleigh	Channel	June	9	„	Aug.	30	82

PASSAGES TO SYDNEY UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1880.
Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed Tasmania		Arrived		Days Out
Cimba	Channel	June	11	July	7	July	27			Aug.	21	72
Samuel Plimsoll	Plymouth	April	29	May	15	June	10	July	5	July	9	72
								(Otway)
The Tweed	Lizard	May	15	June	8	June	27	July	21	July	29	75
								(S.W.Cape)
PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1880.
Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed Cape Otway		Arrived		Days Out
Ben Voirlich	Lizard	June	13	July	8	July	25	Aug.	17	Aug.	19	67
Sir Walter Raleigh	Start	May	17	June	10	June	30	July	22	July	23	67
Romanoff	Lizard	June	11	July	6	July	27	Aug.	17	Aug.	18	68
Ben Cruachan	Lizard	April	18	May	10	May	30			June	27	70
Aristides	Lizard	July	27	Aug.	23	Sept.	12	Oct.	4	Oct.	5	70
Miltiades	Lizard	May	6	May	31	June	21	July	15	July	16	71
Loch Vennachar	Tuskar	June	1	June	27	July	18	Aug.	12	Aug.	12	72
Loch Maree	Greenock	May	1	May	25	June	19	July	12			73
Mermerus	Dungeness	May	14					July	26			73
Salamis	Start	May	27	June	20	July	11	Aug.	10			75
Loch Katrine	Clyde	Dec.	4							Feb.	17 ’81	75
Theophane	Tuskar	Aug.	11							Oct.	27	77
Old Kensington	Channel	April	30							July	17	78