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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Diary Written by Ally Heathcote on SS Northumberland, England to Melbourne. "Steamship Northumberland – Passage to Australia in 52 Days – Brief Sketches of Life On Board a Steam Vessel" |
| Author | Heathcote, Ally |
| Date | 21 Sep-17 Nov 1874 |
| Document Type | Personal Account |
| Reference | HT 1104 |
| Library / Archive | Museums Victoria |
| Collection Name | Diaries / Journals / Letters |
| Description | Diary written by Ally Heathcote on SS Northumberland, England to Melbourne, 1874. Her two page preface outlines a brief biography. Ally's diary begins with the departure: they left on Monday 21 September 1874, travelling on the steamship Northumberland, they considered travelling by clipper but due to her mother's health, wanted the shortest journey possible. She describes the route, shipboard life, food, illnesses, navigational details such as longitude and latitude, distances and speed, first impressions of Australia and general feelings of excitement, the sorrow of separation and the joys and relief of arrival. The diary was written with a sense of audience. Near the beginning is an undertaking to her uncle to keep a diary, and at its conclusion there is a letter written by Ally from 88 Drummond St, Carlton to her aunt and uncle which implies that she sent it to them in England. In the letter she invites them to circulate it and even to perhaps get this printed in The Times newspaper. |
| Biographical Note / History | Born in Preston in the North of England, Ally Heathcote arrived in Australia at the age of 19 with her parents and two siblings, Willie and Maggie, whom she states "had for years thought of visiting Australia at length". Ally also states that she had often thought of emigrating but that she "never had the remotest idea that my dreams of travelling 16 thousand miles would ever be realised." |
| Theme(s) | Journey Conditions; Arrivals: Ports and Early Experiences |
| Country (from) | Great Britain |
| Country (to) | Australia |
| Nationality | English |
| Ships | SS Northumberland |
| People | Heathcote, Ally |
| Keywords | shipping, food, passenger, emigration, health and sickness, disease |
| Additional Information | Please note: Some of the metadata for this document has been taken from the Museum Victoria catalogue. |
| Catalogue Link | Museums Victoria Catalogue |
| Language | English |
| Copyright | Museums Victoria |
