Understanding post-war migrant voyages to Australia and the case of the Corsica, 1946–52: ‘hell trip on a floating slum’

This article historically contextualises the conditions on migrant voyages to Australia. It starts with a historical sketch of various traumatic voyages from 1946 to 1951, before more deeply exploring the voyage of the Corsica in 1951–2. The two key research questions are: Why and how were these voyages so traumatic? And how did the Australian authorities and press respond to migrant complaints? The aims are to advance knowledge of a critical period of Australian and Mediterranean migration history, by shifting the focus from land-to-sea-based experiences, to reveal the marginalised migrant voices and the power-imbalance preventing their voices from being accepted in Australia at the time. By focusing on one voyage, that of the Corsica, the article also advances knowledge on the experiences of one migrant community, the Cypriots, who made up most of the passengers on the Corsica.