Stopovers were not only a practical necessity to restock the ship with fuel and food, but also a bonus for migrants, many of whom had never had the opportunity to travel before. Stopovers offered opportunities to meet the locals, bargain for souvenirs and organise sightseeing tours.
Travelling via the Suez Canal led to stopovers in Port Said in Egypt, followed by Suez at the southern end of the canal, the former British colonial outpost of Port Aden in Yemen, Sri Lanka’s (formerly Ceylon) capital of Colombo, and the Western Australian port of Fremantle before arriving in Melbourne.