Find technical information, pictures, logs and histories of passenger and cargo ships.
Log of logs is a catalogue of logs, journals, shipboard diaries, letters, and all forms of voyage narratives, 1788 to 1988, for Australia and New Zealand and surrounding oceans by Ian Nicholson in 3 volumes. For some ships mentioned in the logs, you can find photographs or sketches of the vessel.
The library holds copies of these volumes on the Reference shelves in the Redmond Barry Reading Room, as well as on the shelves in the Newspapers & Family History Reading Room.
Located in the Redmond Barry Reading Room at R 387.5099 N52L
Located in Newspapers and Family History at G 016.3875099 N52L
As the Library has collected many shipboard diaries and letters since Log of Logs was published, it is also worth searching our Manuscripts collection via the catalogue. Use the search bar to enter the name of the ship, and then select 'Manuscripts' from the drop down box:
Australia New Zealand UK mails Volume 1- to 1880 & Volume 2 1881- 1900
Ever wondered how letters and other post made it between the UK and Australia and New Zealand? The primary focus of this two-volume work is to show how packet mails between the UK and Australia/New Zealand travelled and how such letters were rated to 1900. In doing that it includes a wealth of information on the shipping lines involved, the ships and the routes that they ran. The volumes include pictures of ships and the letters and postage stamps used, as well as tables showing the dates of departure, ports called at and total sailing time to destinations.
Some medical journals from convict ships and emigrant ships have been copied as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) and subsequently digitised by the National Library of Australia (NLA), which means you can now view them online.
The medical journals are from two different 'classes' of the Public Records Office (PRO) Series:
Admiralty Class 101 - 1816 to 1856
Journals kept by surgeons on convict ships, travelling to Australia, 1816-1856, emigrant ships bound for Australia and New Zealand, 1825-1853, and selected journals from naval vessels. The journals may contain an account of the treatment of medical and surgical cases, and usually a copy of the daily sick list, statistical abstracts of the incidence of diseases, and general comments on the health and activities of the ship's company.
Ministry of Transport Class 32 - 1858 to 1867
Series MT 32. Admiralty Transport Department. Surgeon superintendents' journals of convict ships, 1858 - 1867
Records inherited and created by the Ministry of Transport, Shipping Divisions. Surgeon Superintendents' Journals of Convict Ships...
To view the medical journal from convict ship Lincelles:
1. Go to AJCP Series MT 32, Admiralty Transport Department. Surgeon superintendents' journals of convict ships, 1858-1867
2. Locate Lincelles in list of convict ships and click on thumbnail image of journal entry (see below)
3. Choose a page to view and double-click for larger image
The AJCP reels are also available on microfilm here at the Library. Note the reel and piece number references given in the Convict ships, medical journals website to help you quickly locate the correct reel and journal during your visit.
Explore some often overlooked aspects of an immigrants' journey, with our Ask a Librarian video, 'To the land of hope! Mid 19th century voyages from the UK to Victoria'. Topics include: motivations for emigrating, making preparations, leaving home for the last time, arriving at the port of departure, the voyage and life on board the ship.
Newspapers are a good source of shipping information, especially arrivals and departures, as historic newspapers often include a shipping column, sometimes called shipping intelligence. For example, The Argus newspaper had a daily column that lists ships arriving and departing Melbourne, as well as some other shipping news, such as shipwrecks.
For more information about finding shipping information in newspapers look at the guide How to find items in newspapers.
Use shipping indexes to find references to ships in newspapers.
Museums Victoria has a helpful resource put together by the Immigration Museum which charts the types of ships, routes, and travel times of journeys made between Great Britain and Australia from the 1850s to 2000s.
Early journeys to Australia took between 70-110 days and in the 1850s ships usually took the dangerous 'Great Circle' route. The Emigrant's Guide to Australia: with a memoir of Mrs Chisholm describes the 'Great Circle' route as 'to have the advantage of the trade-winds, vessels, on leaving the British shores, steer a course as if their destination was Rio Janiero on the eastern coast of South America; they then turn and recross the same meridians, keeping a little south of the Cape of Good Hope; but, if necessary, with little delay they can touch there. The course then is direct easterly'. (p 100)
There is evidence that some ships were taking an 'Extreme Great Circle' route as early as the 1840s, but due to its detrimental effect on the health of passengers, it was modified by the Emigration Commission. The resource Doctors at sea: emigrant voyages to colonial Australia outlines the route, travel time and health impact on passengers in chapter 7.
The use of clipper ships in the latter part of the 19th century saw the journey time from Great Britain to Australia reduced to between 50-70 days, and the opening of the Suez Canal further reduced travel time to around 40 days.
The Australian National Maritime Museum has developed a fun interactive game called 'The Voyage'. In this game, players learn, make decisions and solve problems aboard a convict ships' journey to Australia in the 1830s. It is a fun way of learning about the type of ships, routes, crew and living conditions on board during the journey to Australia.
Our librarians have written some great blogs about the resources available at State Library Victoria to help you discover more about ships' journeys, passengers and living conditions onboard:
- When the boat comes in: voyages to Victoria
- To the land of hope! Mid 19th century voyages from the UK to Victoria
- Something to write home about: Melbourne in 1852
- Your ancestor's world- 19th century Victoria
- Salt beef, tinned carrots and haggis- the 19th century ships diet
1798--1860, see Shipping Arrivals and Departures, Victorian Ports
(Some additional arrivals and departures 1797--1841 on microfilm and in newspaper indexes)
1855--1875, see Weekly Bill of Entry
1877--1900, see Australasian Shipping News
1900--1904, see Daily Australasian Shipping News
1904--1907, see Daily Shipping Index and Importers and Exporters Journal
1907--1920, see Daily Shipping Index of Australasia
1921--1973, see Daily Commercial News and Shipping List
The University of Edinburgh's 'Sources in Local History' is a series of transcribed diaries, journals and letters of Scots who emigrated overseas. The online collection includes two shipboard diaries of journeys to Victoria, including a collection of letters written by a group of cousins who established timber businesses in Ballarat and Melbourne:
- The Letters of the Smith Family, Emigrants to Australia, 1854-1891 (the Smith Brothers, Timber Merchants)
- A Diary of a Journey from Haddington to Port Phillip kept by John Mackay, 1852
There is also a shipboard journal for a voyage to Port Adelaide:
- Notes on a Voyage from Glasgow to Port Adelaide made by Alexander Kennedy, 1878
The Marine Traffic website provides information about current geographical positions of ships as well as other related information, whenever available, such as:
The digitised Journal of commerce of Victoria & Melbourne (1858-1932) includes many references to ships and shipping movements, especially the 'fortnightly trade review column'.
