Rajah Gopaul (ship)

[reidfd]

The Rajah Gopaul sailed from Plymouth, England 24th May 1852 to carry emigrants to Australia.  My question is, did she call into an Irish Port (possibly Cork or Cobh) to pick up passengers or did the ship proceed directly to Moreton Bay, Queensland via Sydney?  My interest is whether a passenger from Ireland would have firstly transferred to Plymouth to board the ship?

[Ruskie]

In my limited experience there generally seems to be one port of departure, and I am not aware of any stops to take on new passengers. Places the ship docks on the journey are not named unless there are exceptional circumstances, then on arrival in Australia the ship will often let off passengers at various ports along the coast.

I see no reason that someone from Ireland or elsewhere would not travel to Plymouth to board their ship.

Sometimes there is additional information if a journey has been eventful eg health officers reports, or mentions in the papers which may give further details.

[chris_49]

I've found ships that call at Queenstown, as it was then called, en route to North America but also Australia (Liverpool departing ships used Kingstown, now Dun Laoghaire). I don't expect there was a hard and fast rule, but I've found them calling at Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Aden then either Bombay or Colombo. Some of these stops would be necessary for refuelling, I think.

[Ruskie]

I've found ships that call at Queenstown, as it was then called, en route to North America but also Australia (Liverpool departing ships used Kingstown, now Dun Laoghaire). I don't expect there was a hard and fast rule, but I've found them calling at Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Aden then either Bombay or Colombo. Some of these stops would be necessary for refuelling, I think.

That would be interesting to know. Whereabouts did you find this information, and is it available for every ship’s journey out of England?

I imagine they must have had to make numerous stops along the way but to date I have not seen any records of this for ships from England to Australia. It would be good to be able to find out more about the journeys our ancestors undertook.

[chris_49]

I've found ships that call at Queenstown, as it was then called, en route to North America but also Australia (Liverpool departing ships used Kingstown, now Dun Laoghaire). I don't expect there was a hard and fast rule, but I've found them calling at Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Aden then either Bombay or Colombo. Some of these stops would be necessary for refuelling, I think.

That would be interesting to know. Whereabouts did you find this information, and is it available for every ship’s journey out of England?

I imagine they must have had to make numerous stops along the way but to date I have not seen any records of this for ships from England to Australia. It would be good to be able to find out more about the journeys our ancestors undertook.

Sorry, I don't have any records to hand on this (the details are probably under Notes on my tree for the relevant relatives, but who I don't remember). So I'm just quoting from memory, and my relatives' journeys may not be typical, especially as regards calls at Queenstown.

But I remember being struck as to how this route was following outposts of Empire - perhaps steering a route between places that might have been unfriendly at the time - plus the partly British controlled Suez canal.

Some of these shipping records are on Ancestry, some on FindMyPast.

[Ruskie]

I think the ships took the “long way around” to Australia probably well after the Suez canal opened. 

I have noticed that over the years the duration of the trips reduced from three or four months, to substantially less - whether that was due to faster ships, or using the Suez, I have no idea.

I have not found any detailed reports of ports and routes taken for any of my immigrants, though I would like to do so. All travelled later than 1852. Some of them were Irish though they did not join their ships in Ireland. I will check the details later but believe they departed from England.

A google of the Rajah Gopaul or Rajahgopaul throws up several results which the OP has probably already found.

[ShaunJ]

The Rajah Gopaul made no intermediate stops on that voyage - see https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3710711?searchTerm=rajah%20gopaul

[Ruskie]

Nice find Shaun. 

[reidfd]

Thank you for your interest and replies.  I am of the opinion that my voyager was required to first travel from Cork, Ireland  to Plymouth, England to board the Rajah Gopaul, whose first port of call was Sydney, Colony of New South Wales.  To see the ship's log would provide the evidence.