In its day the Black Ball Line of Liverpool (England) was a household name. This line is very closely associated with the development of Australia. During its existence from 1852 to 1871 it carried thousands of colonial immigrants from England to the shores of Australia.
In 1851 when news of Victorian goldstrikes reached London a great fever hit the English residents. They crammed the shipyards in order to secure a ticket that would take them to the new colony of Australia where they were hopeful of making their fortune. In 1857 alone, 86,000 people left their homeland in search of gold. Many didn’t make it due to shipwreck or sickness. The long uncomfortable voyage where seasickness claimed most, and water leaked into every part of the ship leaving nothing dry, made many curse the day they heard of the goldstrikes.
Famous tall ships such as the Lightning, Schomberg, Champion of the Seas, James Baines etc. all belonged to this famous line.
