SS Australis Passenger & Crew Stories
Andre
December 25, 2021 at 3:50 am
Andre Mackie from Essex
November 14, 2021 at 11:35 pm
Karla Edson
September 16, 2021 at 8:23 pm
Neil Musson
August 15, 2021 at 3:09 pm
Robert Wrightson
August 5, 2021 at 11:41 pm
Left Auckland 2 August arrived Southhampton 31 August just as the QE2 was docking. Wonderfull trip called Fiji,Acapulco.Panama wdst indies, Bahama’s Miami and on to Southampton.
Would love to catch up with anyone on that voyage.
Felt a sense of sadness after watching the final end of such a wonderfull old ship. Have a photo of my 3 room mates.
Buce Crompton
June 12, 2021 at 5:22 am
Judith Thompson
May 12, 2021 at 1:02 pm
I am trying to find details of the SS Australis trip to Southampton which took place in March 1968. My biological mother (who is British) met my biological father (who is Maltese and called Joseph Axisa) on this trip. They were both 24 years old at the time.
I am trying to find out about my biological father since I was adopted and have only recently discovered my story.
If anybody remembers this trip or who knows how I might find details of passenger lists to find out more then I would be interested to know!
Tony D
April 6, 2021 at 9:47 am
frank richard carew
February 6, 2021 at 7:44 am
We travelled via Auckland, Suva, Acapulco, Panama Canal and Miami. I remember our time on the Australis as a bit of a situation comedy with some of the things that went on but things worked out in the end. I was in a 6-berth cabin – my friends were Carole from Yorkshire; Wendy from Wiltshire and Andrea and Jacinta from New Zealand plus Pat and Marcus who were in Brian’s cabin. I remember Nick and the Rocks who played in the ballroom and going down to a cramped crew cabin for a party where the crew tried to get the blokes in the group drunk. We would party all night and go to breakfast in the mornings then sleep most of the days except when we were in port. We had a Force 10 gale out of Miami and Brian and I proved we were very good sailors as we were about the only people who came to breakfast. I also remember how infection went through the ship so easily and everyone got a dose of the runs at some stage.
We had an absolute ball and it seemed like life on the ship was the whole world while you were on board. We kept in touch with some of these mates after we left the ship for a while but have lost touch now.
Terry (Robins) Hardwick
February 5, 2021 at 10:40 pm
Gill Pritchard (nee Hollyoake)
January 28, 2021 at 7:02 am
Gill Pritchard (nee Hollyoake)
January 28, 2021 at 7:00 am
Jim Molloy
January 14, 2021 at 7:16 am
It was so exciting for a young bride on my way to an exciting life in Australia . I consider myself very very lucky to have had that experience on the SS Australis
Veronica
January 9, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Greek crew. We had a fabulous time on board for 5 weeks Arriving in Tasmania April 1973. I have lived in many states and have come back to Tasmania to retire.
Our eldest sister sponsored us £10 Pommes
Diane Conier new Foster
December 31, 2020 at 9:36 pm
I was 19 and single man,did everything even visiting the machines down below and the kitchens! I was friendly and with my lovely French accent was winning all the hearts!
It was distinguished,we had a stewart for our cabin and was so friendly and always at our disposition for whatever we needed!
My 3 colleagues passengers from France,Hungary and Holland were nice guys. We spent 32 days till Sydney,the group Sherbet came on board in Melbourne,we were dancing every night! Three meals a day, tea times,coffees and cakes all the time! I will always remember that scrambled eggs and pineapple juice!
They don’t tell when a tragedy arise and fortunately they didn’t have to, it would remove the euphorical atmosphere, everybody was happy, the tourists from Great Britain and the migrants from Europe! We were 2500 passengers and 700 from the crew!
Yes one day I saved a life, maybe two! That girl in her 20’s wanted to jump, she was on the other side of the barrier, one guy holding her, they were screaming, it was 5 o’clock in the morning. I heard the guy asking me to take her to safety, he couldn’t as he was exhausted! How long they were there,I don’t know!
She wanted to kill herself for desperation, it was about a break up, so many fell in love on that ship!
I was happy and never heard of them, nor anyone thanking me either and it’s ok because they didn’t have to as it became my reward for life!
That ship was so big,7 levels I think! Two swimming pools, gyms, saunas and bars in every corners! I loved it all! We lost few days after Cape Town, an horrible weather made us do a detour in the Indian ocean! That huge ship was rocked by the rough waves but stood well.
I went back to France after ten months but came back few times and now living in the Mornington Peninsula!
Jean Di Costanzo
September 13, 2020 at 8:20 am
With my parents and 1 sister and 5 brothers, I remember we had cabins on the c deck we’re the engines were, I was 15 at the time, had lots of fun on the ship, got to Meet my friend Lorraine on there, who’s now my sister-in-law,Got bit rough going access the grater, but we as kids had fun,We had stop at Canary Islands then Cape Town Africa then on to femantle arrive July 20 1973
Anita
August 9, 2020 at 1:54 am
Rob Hunt
July 2, 2020 at 9:10 pm
Andre mackie
July 1, 2020 at 6:43 am
I traveled from Sydney Australia to Southampton UK on the SS Australis in 1967. It took one month. We stopped at Aukland NZ, Suva Fiji, Panama & on through the Panama Canal, Port Everglades Miami USA & then on to Southampton. What a wonderful adventure for an almost 13 yrs kid. The only negative I remember was watching Ghengis Khan & carry on Cowboy over & over again in the ships cinema. They didn’t have too many movies. I am now a guitar teacher in the UK.
Gary Dean Crosby
May 25, 2020 at 6:16 pm
James Spence
May 8, 2020 at 12:44 am
Paul Beedham
April 29, 2020 at 3:43 pm
Robert
April 27, 2020 at 2:53 am
Christopher Wilson
April 18, 2020 at 10:38 am
Andre Mackie
April 10, 2020 at 4:11 am
Kevin
April 7, 2020 at 3:44 am
Clive Hyne
April 3, 2020 at 9:12 pm
Ray Hampton
April 2, 2020 at 3:35 am
Dore Van der Wilk
March 25, 2020 at 2:26 am
Annelen knappe
March 10, 2020 at 1:23 am
Laura Streek nee Mills
March 6, 2020 at 5:04 pm
nigel stanbridge
February 22, 2020 at 11:59 pm
Jens Arnold
January 29, 2020 at 5:15 am
Had a fabulous trip visiting sydney, auckland suva, acapulco,
Cristabal and balboa through the panama and up
Took 4 and a half weeks, wonderful ship had a great time met loads of great people, loved the crossing of the line ceremony on the equator
Trena Jones
January 22, 2020 at 1:38 am
James A. Todd
January 3, 2020 at 1:10 pm
yvonne ballantyne
December 17, 2019 at 6:11 am
Gill Fitzherbert
December 16, 2019 at 3:17 am
brian holliday
December 6, 2019 at 3:56 pm
Andre
September 5, 2019 at 3:18 am
Andre
September 5, 2019 at 3:11 am
I am from France and three times a day we were served like princes and princesses on our group formed in Paris! We were escorted by Australian delegates to Southampton via Brittany and Plymouth! 32 days of holidays, 2500 passengers 700 crew members! I was 19 fully trade to work in Port Kembla Steelwork!
Amazing trip visiting Las Palmas,Cape Town and Perth, then stopped in Melbourne passing in the famous Port Phillip Bay then to Sydney! The Sherbets played for us for a week and I had the chance to save the life of a young lady,I stopped her from jumping! Nobody knew, well these things don’t get spread but I feel good about that!
I arrived in Freemantle the 3rd of July 1975!
I loved the Australis! Great time,wonderful people I met on it!??
Jean Di Costanzo
August 27, 2019 at 5:56 am
Diane June Bowditch
August 2, 2019 at 12:00 am
Toula Stomo
July 8, 2019 at 8:20 am
Chris Lindsay
May 29, 2019 at 12:00 am
We set off from Southampton to Gibraltar, madeira, Lisbon and Puerto del garda, I think? I have the best memories.
We were treated like royalty. We had a young religious father on our dinner table each night who took a shining to my nan which we always laughed about afterwards
Our voyage through the bay of biscay was very rough and i remember my nan and grandad doing their nava hand l signs across the tennis table deck.
The first officer used to stop me and my brother regularly and make us stand straight, shoulders back, funny!
The monkeys at Gibraltar, the museum’s in Portugal, the poor children chasing the coach for shillings and diving into the marina to get the coins tourists threw in are a very vivid memory. Poverty was quite real back then.
Anyone else remember? 1975 or 76 i think?
Ian Briggs
May 10, 2019 at 3:56 pm
Malcolm Dearden
April 28, 2019 at 12:32 am
Olga Alexandra (then Kelly)
April 18, 2019 at 1:58 am
Miranda Pet
April 7, 2019 at 8:39 pm
klaus edlinger
March 16, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Deborah A Evans
February 9, 2019 at 1:10 pm
Deborah Evans, formally Perry
February 9, 2019 at 12:22 am
Does anyone remember a 5yr old little boy chasing a paper cup at the aft of the ship then falling from one deck to another landing on his face breaking his nose and loosing his front teeth (me) 1968-69 voyage to Australia.
I did survive and would love to hear from anyone who witnessed my accident
mark kiermaier
January 25, 2019 at 7:49 pm
Jo
January 23, 2019 at 4:38 am
Margaret Dynes
January 12, 2019 at 9:02 pm
Ninos Athanasiadis
January 8, 2019 at 7:34 am
Jacquie hogwood
January 5, 2019 at 10:28 am
Diane
December 22, 2018 at 6:34 am
Jeff Aylott
December 22, 2018 at 3:32 am
PHIL PELLING
November 27, 2018 at 12:44 am
Sjirk Bangma
October 10, 2018 at 6:33 am
Brian Rawding
October 8, 2018 at 9:04 pm
JUDY
August 25, 2018 at 8:28 am
Me, Jacqueline and 4 children had a wonderful trip to Fuji than Acapulco through the Panama Canal, Fort Lauderdale to our final destination, seeing the old landing place where I used to live in Rotterdam, “The Holland America Line”.
Adriaan Marinus Daane
June 21, 2018 at 8:21 pm
Liam Baird
May 21, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Liam Baird
May 21, 2018 at 4:44 pm
Liam Baird
May 21, 2018 at 4:39 pm
Clare Lyon
May 17, 2018 at 11:20 am
Jennifer
May 2, 2018 at 12:00 am
Janine Buckman
March 28, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Yes it was a magical journey, an adventure never to be forgotten.
Maurice Castagnet
March 27, 2018 at 3:47 am
Er hat auf diesem tollen Schiff gearbeitet, wenn sie eine Reparatur im Dock hatte. Im Toner, November 1970 wollte er mit ihr nach Deutschland fahren
Leider kam es zu dem Feuer vor Fidji
Die Australis könnte zwar aus eigener Kraft bis nach Suwa, aber er und seine damalige Familie sind dann nach Deutschland geflogen
Dagmar Baumgarth
March 25, 2018 at 1:10 am
Julie Tideman
March 22, 2018 at 9:31 pm
I was 8 years old and it was a big adventure to me. I learned to swim in the small/kid’s pool, learned to play chess in the kid’s club, saw whales and lots of flying fish, being pulled through the Panama Canal, discovering spaghetti, getting chronic sea sickness, oh and having Wednesday twice in a row when we crossed the equator in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. I also remember one evening in the dining room while waiting for our meal, when the they turned all the lights out and then the next minute, all the waiters came in holding flaming cakes above their heads! I also remember playing cars with a friend I’d made on the ship when suddenly all the sirens started sounding. Everyone made their way up to the decks and I was scared and looking for my Mum and Dad, whom I eventually found. A member of staff had found me a life jacket too. My parents are long gone and never learned of the ship’s fate before passing. I can’t quite understand why, but I felt a tremendous sadness when I found out where the Australis ended her days. The last picture I saw online from 2018 shows only a small chunk of metal left visible. Wonderful memories that have helped me also remember my parents in those exciting adventurous times.
Scott Hanley
March 22, 2018 at 9:41 am
Paul
February 20, 2018 at 11:48 am
Neville Fenn
February 1, 2018 at 2:13 am
Check it out if you like ???? It include stories from ex crew, passengers & support staff. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ssaustralisphotosnstories/
Wolfram Dallwitz
February 1, 2018 at 2:04 am
TIM ROCHE
February 1, 2018 at 1:01 am
Neville Fenn
January 31, 2018 at 10:38 pm
Erik Teune
January 20, 2018 at 8:28 pm
Jo
January 14, 2018 at 9:01 am
Olwyn Trimble
January 14, 2018 at 7:55 am
Andre
January 7, 2018 at 8:54 pm
Sally
November 29, 2017 at 9:59 am
Ita Tippett
November 27, 2017 at 5:27 am
Maggie MacGregor
September 6, 2017 at 4:35 am
Elaine
August 26, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Diane
August 20, 2017 at 7:41 am
Roy Ebrey
August 14, 2017 at 2:17 am
Wendy
May 17, 2017 at 1:17 am
xxx
March 24, 2017 at 4:20 pm
Lisa Pola
January 1, 2017 at 8:14 am
Fee jobson
October 8, 2016 at 2:24 am
Victoria Fletcher
September 1, 2016 at 6:04 pm