THEY were the adventurers who set sail for the other side of the world with dreams of a better life down under.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, around 2.2 million Britons boarded ships for New South Wales in Australia after being enticed by reports of a land with "the climate of Italy, the mountain scenery of Wales and the fertility of England".
The wave of immigration led to a boom in Australia's population, which rose from 53,000 in 1826, less than the current number of residents in Livingston, to 5.6 million by 1922 - more than the population of Scotland.
Now, names and other details of the migrants are being posted online, giving their descendants, thought to include more than 16 million Britons, the chance to trace their ancestors' journeys.
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