The Dances travelled on the SS Commonwealth, a steamship of registered tonnage 4175 tons. It departed the Port of London with 382 adult and 73 child passengers on 2 May 1912 bound for Melbourne via Cape Town.

SS COMMONWEALTH Built by Barclay Curle & Company, Glasgow. Yard No 432 Port of Registry: London Propulsion: Two three cylinder triple expansion steam engines, 4000 ihp, Twin scew, 13.5 kts. Launched: Saturday 23/81902 Built: 1902 Type: Passenger/ cargo liner Tonnage: 6616 gross, 4176 net Length: 450 ft 3 in Breadth: 52 ft 3 in Owner history: Wilhelm Lund, London 1905: Registered in the ownership of Blue Anchor Line Ltd (W Lund and Sons managers) 1910: Peninsular & Oriental S N Co: purchased for £77,569 15/9/1910: maiden P&O sailing 1915-1917: HMAT AT73 Commonwealth: Australian Expeditionary Force Transport Sold for scraping 12/4/1923 As an advance on Lund’s earlier emigrant vessels, COMMONWEALTH was aimed at a better class of traveler. 75 saloon class passengers were accommodated in the bridge deck and there were 300 third class births. www.cydesite.co.au