The Lord Auckland — a Ship with an Extraordinary Career!
Long before the Lord Auckland became involved in one of Queensland’s strangest colonial adventures, this remarkable sailing ship had already crossed the oceans carrying settlers, convicts and other passengers.
Her story would eventually connect Britain, New Zealand, Tasmania and Queensland.
A SHIP BUILT FOR THE AGE OF SAIL
The Lord Auckland was a 628-ton wooden barque built at Calcutta, India, in 1836.
A barque was a three-masted sailing vessel, with square sails on the foremast and mainmast and fore-and-aft sails on the mizzenmast. These ships were designed for long ocean voyages and were an essential part of Britain's expanding maritime network during the 19th century.
FROM BRITAIN TO NEW ZEALAND
In 1841, the Lord Auckland was hired by the New Zealand Company to carry settlers from Britain to Nelson, New Zealand.
She left London on 25 September 1841 under Captain Jardine, carrying emigrants who were beginning a new life on the other side of the world.
Among those aboard was Alfred Fell, whose account of the voyage provides a fascinating glimpse into the journey. The passenger list included families, single men and women, and children — ordinary people making the enormous journey to a new colony.
The Lord Auckland finally reached Nelson in February 1842.
For these passengers, the voyage wasn't simply a trip overseas. For many, it was the beginning of an entirely new life.
But the ship's career was about to take a very different turn.
THE LORD AUCKLAND BECOMES A CONVICT TRANSPORT
Between 1844 and 1853, the Lord Auckland made four voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land - present-day Tasmania.
Her convict voyages were in 1844, 1846, 1848 and 1852.
These were tightly controlled voyages. Convicts travelled under guard, while a surgeon-superintendent was responsible for their medical care during the long passage.
Life aboard a convict transport was highly regulated. Prisoners were confined separately from the ordinary passengers, subject to strict discipline and allocated food, clothing and sleeping arrangements according to government regulations.
The long voyages could also be dangerous, with illness and the hardships of spending weeks or months at sea creating constant challenges.
FOUR CONVICT VOYAGES
The Lord Auckland's four convict voyages took place over almost a decade:
1844 — sailed from London and arrived at Hobart on 15 November after a 122-day voyage.
1846 — sailed from Dublin and arrived at Hobart on 26 August after a 120-day voyage.
1848–49 — sailed from Dublin carrying female convicts, arriving at Hobart on 20 January 1849 after 101 days.
1852–53 — sailed from Cork on 29 September 1852 under Captain George Thompson and arrived at Hobart on 29 January 1853.
On that final voyage, 248 male convicts were embarked, with 246 surviving the journey to Hobart.
By this point, the Lord Auckland had already spent years carrying people across the oceans — but another remarkable chapter in her story was still to come.
THE QUEENSLAND CONNECTION
In January 1847, between her second and third convict voyages, the Lord Auckland became involved in an ambitious British attempt to establish a new settlement at Port Curtis in Queensland.
Under Captain Robert Brown, she sailed from Sydney carrying members of the expedition, including officials, families and others involved in the proposed settlement.
But things quickly went wrong.
On 25 January 1847, the Lord Auckland grounded on the flats at the entrance to Port Curtis. Although she was eventually refloated, the ship had suffered serious damage.
The expedition itself became a failure and the proposed settlement was abandoned.
The Lord Auckland had therefore found herself involved in one of the more unusual episodes of early Queensland history - an attempted British settlement that lasted only a short time.
ONE SHIP — MANY CHAPTERS
Think about the journey this one ship made.
Built in Calcutta.
She carried emigrants from Britain to New Zealand.
She then transported convicts to Van Diemen's Land.
She became involved in the ill-fated attempt to establish a British settlement at Port Curtis.
And then she returned to the convict trade, making her final voyage to Hobart in 1853.
One wooden sailing ship.
Thousands of kilometres of ocean.
Settlers, convicts, officials and families.
And a career that crossed some of the most fascinating chapters of 19th-century Australian and New Zealand history.
The Lord Auckland was far more than just a sailing ship — she was a floating link between some extraordinary stories of the British Empire.
