<snip> >I know his diary made reference to another family on board who lost a child >and he was very >distressed by it. He and his wife must have befriended >another family on board by the name of >Hull. Their son James was born in >Port Phillip and he married Amelia Broadhurst - hence my >presence! > >Such small snippets of info and such big holes! I was just hoping to find >some 'lists' of arrivals. >I have been trying via the lists and other avenues to contact family in >Melbourne but have turned >up nothing of interest. > >The info I read in 'The Somerset Years' made me wonder if there was a >source of 'arrivals' history >that I was unaware of. Hi Maureen, I presume you are aware that there are passenger lists for most ships arriving in Australian ports, kept by the Archives Office for each state, and in Victoria that is the Public Record Office Victoria. Some indexes are already online on their website. The passenger lists themselves are on microfilm at PROV, and you would need to visit or pay a researcher to look at them for you, and photocopy those lists. The information on the lists varies, but the can sometimes tell you where the immigrant went after leaving the ship, so worth looking at. To see if there are any accounts of the voyages in which you are interested, you need to consult "Log of Logs". I have a description of this on my webpage http://members.optushome.com.au/lenorefrost/shipslog.html I'd also recommend a visit to a library to borrow a book on the basics of family history research in Australia. Nick Vine Hall's book describes what sort of records are available and where to find them. It is much better to be systematic about family history than trying to pick up information ad hoc on the net. Best wishes, Lenore Frost Essendon, Vic