Coast to Coast - The Great Australian Coastal Liners (Paperback)

There was a time when the only way to travel between the major cities located around the coast of Australia was by ship. Up to the end of the 19th century, these ships were primarily intended to transport cargo, with scant attention being paid to the requirements and comfort of passengers. In 1901, a new type of coastal ship was developed to transport passengers in comfort, with cargo of secondary importance. Unfortunately, World War I brought major changes to the coastal trade. Eventually all of the new liners, plus most of the older ones, were taken over for military duty in foreign waters, and the coastal trade virtually ground to a halt. Following this war, from 1936 to 1939, Australians enjoyed the best coastal service ever, but then war raised its ugly presence again and, for a second time, the ships found themselves taken over for military duty. The coastal liners struggled through the 1950s, when it was becoming increasingly clear that the time was coming to an end when travell