Why emigrate in 1877 or 1878? (General)

by sidtoomey01 , Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Saturday, March 31, 2018, 06:14 (2433 days ago) @ ianjmill

Another possibility is there may have been a scheme promoted by The New Zealand Government similar to one in Queensland in early 1860's shortly after its separation from New South Wales to become a State in its own right.
In the Queensland promotion, officials from the State visited the UK , holding meetings in various cities, promoting the scheme whereby a Queensland Government grant of land was available to newcomers who paid their own passage to Queensland.
e.g. Advertisement on 23rd August 1861 in The Scotsman Newspaper was one such example.

If I could be so bold, I would ask lightheartedly , the bigger mystery is why anyone would sail all the way past the great land of Terra Australis just to reach The land of the long white cloud.