We all became so excited with our pent up emotions, that we found it difficult even to perform our duties and fell even to counting first the days and then the hours before we would at last enjoy the sight of the shores of our native land again. When we were told that Melbourne would be reached at dawn, the joy and excitement made the troops act like school boys and some even leaned over the side of the ship all night watching for the shore lights to appear, since sleep for many was quite out of the question.

In the small hours of the morning before dawn, one of the Officers burst into my cabin and woke us up and informed us that if we would get up we would see a searchlight playing on our ship. On looking out of the porthole, I could see a light a long way off which I was told was one of the lights at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay. It was just becoming light when we entered the Bay and a few hours later we had safely tied up at the Fort Melbourne Pier. All troops for South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania were then ordered to fall in and after the ship and the troops had been medically examined, they were landed and finally went to their various homes. We New South Welshmen and Queenslanders were not allowed ashore until about an hour later and it was not before ten o’clock that I at last was able to stretch my legs on dry land again. Four of us obtained a car and following the vast crowds drove towards the City. En route, we were cheered, congratulated, deluged with flowers and cigarettes and generally lionised by the crowds of people, who lined the route. At last we arrived at a kind of decorated arch and platform near Flinders Street Railway and here they stopped our car and some gentleman who seemed to be the spokesman of a welcoming committee, loudly praised and congratulated us. We were then deluged with more cigarettes, flowers, fruit etc, and were allowed to pass on into the city where we alighted from our car and set out to spend the day about Melbourne. What perfect joy to be listening to the old familiar homely sounds again, after our years of absence! How we laughed and ran and drank together during the whole of that never to be forgotten day of our homecoming! (For we did feel we were home again if we were only at Melbourne.) It was a joy even to mix with real Australian civilians and to hear the “Australian language” again. It gave us infinite pleasure to drink the old familiar beer in the same old manner or to see the same old brands of spirits in the bottles on the shelf.

Everything was different and new to us again after what we had become used to in foreign lands and it was some hours before we at last became more used to things and quietened down somewhat.

That night the four of us went to the Tivoli theatre to see the play called the “Officers Mess” after which we returned to our berths on board the “Mahia”. We were tired out with the great excitement of the day and slept through the night like tops and were rather surprised in the morning to feel the motion of the ship as it steamed down Port Phillip Bay on the last part of our voyage to Sydney.