For instance, initial journeys in the late 18th and early 19th centuries between Great Britain and Australia took between 70 and 110 days. The use of clipper ships in the latter part of the 19th century saw a decline between 50 and 70 days.

In the 19th century, sailing from England to Australia was a daunting journey that typically took 80 to 120 days (approximately 3 to 4 months) for standard emigrant ships. Before the advent of high-speed designs, a journey in calm weather could even stretch to 150 days or more. However, the introduction of clipper ships in the 1850s—vessels with streamlined hulls and massive amounts of sail area—drastically reduced travel times. One of the most famous clippers, the Marco Polo, set a record in 1852 by completing the voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne in just 74 days. Factors affecting the duration included the chosen route (the "Great Circle" route took advantage of strong westerly winds in the Southern Ocean) and the frequency of stops, as earlier ships often diverted to Cape Town for supplies. Conditions on board were notoriously difficult, with passengers in steerage facing cramped, unsanitary environments and the constant threat of disease or shipwreck. While steam technology eventually overtook sail, these clippers represented the pinnacle of 19th-century naval architecture and significantly hastened the colonization and development of the Australian colonies.