The ship depicted arriving at the port in Australia was the USS West Point/SS America. It would become one of the most beloved and appreciated cruise ships of her day. Built in 1940 but requisitioned in 41 as a troop ship she would go on to a very successful career after the war and meet one of the most terrible and astounding fates of the time. After being sold and renamed over a half a dozen times she was sold and was going to be converted to a floating hotel in Thailand but while under tow she broke the tow lines and grounded at Playa De Garcey. She could not be pulled off the shoal and for the next 14 years she became a spectacle that drew thousands of tourists while she broke in half and slowly deteriorated. The stern collapsed first leaving the front 2/3's above the surf leaning over to port more each year until she disappeared under the waves in 2007.
While Leckie was involved with a few girls in Melbourne, Stella was not one of them. The whole situation with Leckie being involved with her and her family is completely fictional.
While briefly demonstrated in the series, Leckie actually goes into quite a bit of detail about his time in the brig in his memoir.