Sackville Built Australia Bound

The Story of the Ship Sarah Dixon

by Raymond L. Dixon

At 1465 tons she was the pride of the Dixon Shipyard. A magnificent new ship launched into the waters of the Tantramar River at high tide September 18, 1856 to the hurrahs of a large crowd who were given a half day holiday to witness the event.

The ship Sarah Dixon was the largest vessel to be launched from Sackville area shipyards and certainly one of the most majestic. Loaded with a cargo of lumber she sailed to Liverpool, England to be sold and converted to a passenger vessel for the Liverpool to Melbourne, Australia route.

Author Ray Dixon carefully chronicles the life of the Sackville, New Brunswick shipbuilder, Charles Dixon, and the extended Dixon family. It is a tale of determination and success but ultimately of hardship and tragedy.

The ship made voyages out to Australia in 1857 and 1858 carrying emigrants and gold seekers to the colony downunder. Transcriptions of two journals provide the reader with a first hand account of enduring a long sea voyage of 90 to 100 days.

Passenger lists are included for both the 1857 and 1858 voyages. The book will be of great interest to descendants of the Dixon family and also to descendants of those men and women who colonized the Australian territory in the mid 1800s.

21 photos, maps and illustrations — 94 pages. Published in May, 2011

Cost: $20

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