Patris

The Patris left Piraeus, Greece, for her first immigrant voyage to Australia on 14 December 1959, reaching Fremantle on 2 January 1960 and Station Pier Melbourne on 7 January. She made a total of 91 voyages to Australia between 1959 and 1975, with immigrants traveling from predominantly Greece and Italy. The Patris traveled regularly via the Suez Canal, stopping at ports such as Aden, Port Said and Colombo. In 1967, when the Suez was closed, she detoured, for five years around Africa stopping at Cape Town and Durban on her way to Australia.After Darwin was almost destroyed by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Day in 1974, the Patris anchored in Darwin Harbour for nine months to provide emergency accommodation for those left homeless. Many immigrants that traveled on the Patris came from small villages with few luxuries and the pressure of small village politics.Pat Skoufis migrated from Greece in 1964.‘I was little and only remember being seasick the whole trip. We were from the village, so mum and dad would have thought the Patris luxurious.’Credit: Text adapted from Ships of Station Pier, Melbourne No. 10438 August 2006, Museum Victoria

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