In the past few months I have just started researching our Family History, in particular, William's Surname. His family is exclusively German prior to his father marrying his mother who is english. I have racked my brains and found every website possible that could help me and last night finally cracked the code that showed me how they arrived in Australia.
The year - 1888, The Ship - Bulimba. It sailed from the UK to Java and then down the Queensland coastline, to where they settled, in Brisbane. One thing that has really touched me during the whole process is the fact that they were travelling with 3 children, one of whom apparently died on the voyage, a baby, not yet 1 year old. I trawled the net and found an article about the voyage on the National Archives website, apparently there was an epidemic of Scarlet Fever or 'Scarletina' as it was called back then. The ship was quarantined for two weeks prior to the passengers being released onto an island and then all of their little belongings that they had brought with them, were burnt.
What an event. At the age of 29 you uproot your life in Germany head for 3 months to a foreign country with your 3 children, the youngest of who succumbs to a terrible illness, and then have all of your most precious items destroyed. Welcome to Australia!!! These people must have been very strong in heart - along with the many thousands of other immigrants that have travelled here.
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