Angelika & Franz Herbertz emigrated to Australia on June 12, 1972. They chose the Australis for their passage from Bremerhaven to Sydney, because they wanted to take as much baggage and household effects as possible with them. Angelika & Franz were housed in a small twin inside cabin. The entertainment the crew had arranged included different kind of games, the crossing the line ceremony, dance classes, bingo evenings and variety shows nearly every night.

A highlight for them both during the trip was that Angelika won the Miss Australis contest held on the ship (see photos). Finally arriving in Sydney on July 13th, 1972. Angelika & Franz then went onto Brisbane where Franz had a job waiting for him as an optometrist at OPSM. In October 1972 they started the return journey to Germany, again on the Australis. They had many enjoyable times on the ship on the way back home, but Between Fort Lauderdale and Rotterdam, they were caught in a very bad storm, which made them a day late into Bremerhaven.

In February 2010 they went on vacation to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Whilst there they decided to visit the wreck of the American Star. They collected a few small alluvial parts of the wreck and took them home. The last two pictures below are of the wreck of the American Star/Australis.

*The first photo has my brother Ray talking to Miss Australis. He was one of the Entertainment Officers on the ship between 1971 and `74*.