Hi Gay The route for ships sailing to Australia from Europe was south to the 40s latitudes to catch the "Roaring Forties" winds for a swift passage east to Australia. My Wenck family sailed from Hamburg in 1878 on the Charles Dickens via this route. Part of the reason I know is that one of the children was born on the ship and the latitude and longitude were given, indicating the place was off the east coast of Tasmania. With the opening of the Suez canal on 17 November 1869, steam ships in particular went that way, called in at ports including Colombo and sailed south down the east coast of Australia calling at ports along the way. My Behm family came that way in 1884 on the Goalpara.There is a diary written by a passenger which details the journey. Sadly, one the Behm children died on that voyage, and by comparing the date with the entry in the diary for that time, I can place the death at Colombo. Jennifer > Gay Fielding <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Alan, > That is great information about the route of the Cesar Godeffroy, I have > > been trying to trace the plot points since you sent the mail. > I'm amazed they sailed through those huge seas in the Southern Ocean. > Can you please give me the source of your information..it seems like a > ships > log.....or do you wish to be quoted as the source, when I record that > information in my Family History. > Thanks a lot > Gay > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Alan and Shirley Nitz" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 1:01 PM > Subject: Re: [SEQ-Germans] Sea Route from Germany to Eastern States > > > > Gay > > This may answer some of your questions. > > > > THE CESAR GODEFFROY > > This ship left Hamburg on October 15, and went direct to sea, but > meeting > > with severe weather in the German Ocean she put back to Cuxhaven after > > > being > > two days out. She lay in port for ten days when she again put to sea, > but > > was once more compelled to return to port. Her final departure was > made on > > the 5th November, and she went down the channel with a favouring > breeze, > > and > > cleared Landsend on the third day, November 8. Thence to the line she > had > > pleasant and fine weather, and she crossed the Equator on December 6, > in > > long. 29 deg.12 min. W. She at once fell in with the South East > Trades, > > and > > > > A List for the research for the descendants of the Germans who migrated > to South East Queensland, Australia. > Archives - > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/AUS/AUS-QLD-SE-Germans.html > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Alan, Jo, and Di, Thank you for your help on my question about the sea Route from German to the Eastern States... When I sit and think about it , rough weather must have made the journey so difficult... I just cannot imagine 40ft waves crashing down over the wooden ship...water seeping through to the deck below wetting all their bedding and clothing... Thank you Jo for your notes...and thank you Di, for your searches. Since my Friedrich Habermann doesn't appear on any Australian passenger lists, Eric Kopittike found him for me in his Database of German passengers, arriving on the Cesar Godeffroy.in 1856.. thanks everyone Gay --- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 5:26 PM Subject: Re: [SEQ-Germans] Sea Route from Germany to Eastern States > > Hi Gay > > The route for ships sailing to Australia from Europe was south to the 40s > latitudes to catch the "Roaring Forties" winds for a swift passage east to > Australia. My Wenck family sailed from Hamburg in 1878 on the Charles > Dickens via this route. Part of the reason I know is that one of the > children was born on the ship and the latitude and longitude were given, > indicating the place was off the east coast of Tasmania. > >