Johan Carlson
| Town/City | Brisbane |
|---|---|
| First name | Johan |
| Last name | Carlson |
| Country of Origin | Sweden |
| Date of Birth | 6/5/1843 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1873 |
| Submitted by | Janice Ely |
Story
Johan left his homeland to make a better life for himself in another country, and he chose Australia. Times were harsh in Europe and the people heard stories of streets paved with gold in faraway places such as America and Australia.
The journey was long and ill-fated ;and, for weeks, the ship “Alardus” was becalmed in the Atlantic Ocean. On the journey sickness was prevalent and 5 adults and 28th children died. In Melbourne, the captain absconded presumably with money belonging to the passengers who finally disembarked in Maryborough.
The immigrants were a mixture of people from northern Europe. Johan Carlson met his future wife, Anna Christina Sorensen, on the journey. She was Danish and was coming to start a new life with her parents and siblings. They settled in a Scandinavian community called “Aalburg” ( Nikenbah) about 10 kilometres from Hervey Bay; and helped each other to build slab huts and establish their farms.
Life was harsh and the stories of their adventures still ring in my ears.