Undoubtedly the foremost explorer and hydrographer of the Australian coastline, Matthew Flinders carried out several important and daring voyages of discovery along coastal portions of the land now known as Australia. He was the first to consistently use the term Australia, and it was at his recommendation that it was officially adopted, something that would have guaranteed him a place in history apart from his many other achievements.
Additionally he was first to prove that the eastern and western sections of Australia were connected, that Tasmania was an island and his work gave the map of Australia its final shape. Interestingly, Matthew Flinders is believed to have been an accomplished flute player, unusual for a Royal Navy Commander.
Flinders was born at Donington, here in Lincolnshire, in 1774; he died in 1814. As a British naval officer he undertook to explore the great unknown continent and, in particular, to circumnavigate it. Contrary to popular belief, he never did circumnavigate Australia - the first to achieve that exploratory milestone was Frenchman Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, when he visited Australia's shores in 1792 and 1793, some three years before Flinders first reached Australia's shores. It must be said, however, that d'Entrecasteaux took the "long way round", and did not follow the coast to the north of Australia via the Gulf of Carpentaria, but passed north of New Guinea. Sailing aboard HMS Mermaid in 1817-1822, it was Phillip Parker King who completed the task Flinders had been given, namely, to circumnavigate Australia and map the coast as he went.
Upon first reaching Australia' shores in 1796, Flinders began exploring parts of the NSW coast south of Sydney with his friend George Bass. The first two trips took place in small open boats, both called Tom Thumb; the second of these involved some dramatic events.
In 1798, after a surveying trip south in the Francis, Flinders and Bass carried out important work in the Norfolk, including the circumnavigation of Tasmania. In 1798, Matthew Flinders, who was now a Lieutenant, was given command of the Norfolk andHis orders were "to sail beyond Furneaux's Islands, and, should a strait be found, pass through it, and return by the south end of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)".
On this, their most important joint expedition, Bass and Flinders confirmed that Tasmania was an island separated from the mainland by a strait - they circumnavigated Tasmania in an anti-clockwise direction. This successful voyage added to the reputations of both men and assisted ships from England, as they could then sail through the strait instead of adding time by having to pass south of Tasmania.
Prior to then, it had been suspected that Tasmania was an island separated from New South Wales by a large body of water. In 1997 George Bass offered to investigate; this was accepted by Governor Hunter, and with a small crew rowed to the northern parts of the area now known as Bass Strait in a longboat. The expedition took place from Dec 1797 to Feb 1798. His work was not conclusive, partly due to difficult conditions experienced in these southern waters.
At this time Flinders was otherwise occupied (on the naval business of ship repairs in Sydney), although shortly after he carried out his own survey in Tasmanian waters in the Francis. Incidentally, Flinders had visited Tasmania (Bruny Island) in Feb 1792, as a junior midshipman on board the Providence under the command of Captain William Bligh.
On his return to England, assisted by Joseph Banks, Flinders lobbied for, and gained command of the expedition of his life - the first close circumnavigation of Terra Australis. In 1801 the Admiralty put him in command of HMS Investigator which was to undertake and complete the exploration of the Australian coastline.
While supervising the provisioning of the Investigator (a converted collier), he found time to resume his friendship with Ann Chappelle, a relationship that blossomed. Matthew and Ann married, but they suffered the pain of long separation as Ann was forbidden by the Admiralty to join the voyage.
After the lengthy trip from England, Flinders explored the southern coast of New Holland, thus beginning the first close circumnavigation of the 'island continent', Australia. The scientific gentlemen collected much information of value and the artist set to work; Robert Brown, Ferdinand Bauer and William Westall later achieved considerable recognition through the Investigator voyage. At Cape Catastrophe the expedition suffered the loss of the ship's boat and its eight sailors, including Flinders' close associate, John Thistle.
45 days after the incident, Flinders entered a bay on what is now the Fleureiu Peninsula and made a surprise encounter with Frenchman Nicholas Baudin, whose corvette La Geographe under Baudin's command also on a voyage of discovery and exploration of the Australian coast. La Geographe had become separated from her consort, "Le Naturaliste" by a gale in Bass Strait. Flinders' naturalist, Dr George Brown, acted as interpreter. Baudin had been sent out by the Republic to make good the French claims to Southern Australia, from Western Port to Nuyt's Archipelago, which they called Terre Napoleon.
Though the meeting took place before the start of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, the two navigators were on similar missions but for different countries, and were therefore somewhat wary of each other. Nevertheless, they were still able to share their experiences amicably over breakfast before going their separate ways. This meeting of competitors is remembered by the name Encounter Bay which Flinders gave to the location. Between them, Flinders and Baudin gave over 70 per cent of the names of Australia's coastal features.
After reprovisioning at Sydney the great voyage of circumnavigation resumed, with new crew members recruited to replace those lost. Dramatic moments occured while passing through the Great Barrier Reef, in the Gulf of Carpentaria during hostilities with aborigines, and at the inspection of the ship's deteriorating hull in the North. After reprovisioning at Timor, an increasing number of crew developed dysentry, and with a mounting death toll and a heavy heart, Flinders was forced to abandon the remainder of his survey, and head for Port Jackson with all haste. On arrival at Sydney he wrote a letter to Ann, his words heavy with grief.
On his way back to England as a passenger in the Porpoise, with charts and journals, to organise another vessel to replace the Investigator, Flinders was shipwrecked on a coral reef east of the Queensland coast. He organised the stranded sailors and undertook a gallant ocean rescue effort. Arriving at Mauritius on his way home to England in 1803, Flinders declined an invitation to dine with the Governor of the island, Captain-General De Caen. Flinders' action led the Governor to suspect Flinders as a spy and he was interned indefinitely - England was then at war with France. When Mauritius was blockaded by the British in 1810, Flinders gained his freedom and returned home. His long imprisonment, combined with harsh conditions during his years at sea, may have contributed to his declining health.
Finally returning to England he gained an overdue promotion, but failed to gain fame, or even due recognition, for his accomplishments. After years of absence, Matthew and his beloved Ann resumed married life, and a daughter, Anne, was born to the couple. Flinders drove himself to work tirelessly on his vast collections of detailed writings and treasured charts, finally completing his expedition account under difficult conditions, while a terminally ill man. Flinders never saw his published journals and atlas. Copies were rushed to him as he lay on his deathbed on 18th July, 1814. By this time he was unconscious. He died the following day, aged 40 years.
His widow, Ann, and daughter, Anne, suffered financial difficulties over the following years. Several decades later the governments of the NSW and Victorian colonies offered financial assistance, and while Ann had died, Anne used this money to help bring up and educate Matthew and Ann Flinders' grandson, William Matthew Flinders Petrie, who became prominent in his own right.
His journal of the Investigator's voyages around the Australian coast, Voyage to Terra Australis, was published just before he died. The geography of Australia's coastline was of vital importance to Matthew Flinders; he placed the highest priority upon filling in the blanks on existing charts, and was the first to explore the vast length of the southern coast. His charts were accurate, his writings informative and detailed. He was the greatest Navigator of his time.
Cape Portland
1.11.1798. Flinders. Named after the Duke of Portland, Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Foster Isld
1.11.1798. Flinders.
Waterhouse Pt / Waterhouse Isld
1.11.1798. Flinders. Named after Henry Waterhouse, master Relience, who brought the first merino sheep to Australia.
East Sandy Cape
1.11.1798. Flinders. Decriptive.
West Sandy Cape
1.11.1798. Flinders. Descriptive.
Ninth Isld
1.11.1798. Flinders. Ninth rocky island discovered.
Stony Head
1.11.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Five Mile Bluff
Descriptive.
Tenth Isld
2.11.1798. Flinders. Tenth rocky island discovered.
Low Head
3.11.1798. Flinders. Being a low sandy projection.
West Head
3.11.1798. Flinders. its location in relation to the entrance to Port Dalrymple.
Port Dalrymple
1.11.1798. Flinders. Named after Alexander Dalrymple, hydrographer to the British Navy.
Table Cape
1.11.1798. Flinders. Its appearance, a steep, cliffy head with a flat top (it is the core of an extinct volcano).
Rocky Cape
5.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Circular Head
5.12.1798. Flinders. Shaped like a christmas cake (it is the core of an extinct volcano).
Three Hummock Isld
9.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Hunter Islds Group / Hunter Isld
10.12.1798. Flinders. Named after John Hunter, Governor, New South Wales. Unaware that it had already been named by Flinders, Baudin named it Fleurieu Island in 1802 but this name was never adopted or used.
Black Pyramid
10.12.1798. Flinders. Descriptive.
Albatross Isld
10.12.1798. Flinders. Many albatrosses seen nesting there.
Trefoil Isld
10.12.1798. Flinders. Shaped like a clover leaf.
Barren Island
10.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Flat Topped Bluff
10.12.1798. Flinders. Descriptive.
Bluff Pt
10.12.1798. Descriptive.
Cape Grim
10.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Valley Bay
10.12.1798. Flinders. Descriptive.
Calm Bay
10.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Green Pt
10.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
West Pt
most westerly point on the coast.
Bluff Hill Pt
10.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Sandy Cape
Flinders. Descriptive.
Hibbs Bay / Point Hibbs
11.12.1798. Flinders. Named after Peter Hibbs, colonial master, Norfolk.
High Rocky Pt
Flinders, Descriptive.
Green Pt
Flinders. Descriptive.
Low Rocky Pt
Flinders. Descriptive.
Elliott Bay
Flinders. Named after Sir Charles Elliott, Governor of Bermuda.
Green Isld
Flinders. Descriptive.
Trumpeter Isld
Flinders. Trumpeter fish caught here.
Cape St Vincent
12.12.1798. Flinders. Named after Earl St Vincent, President of the Board of the Admiralty.
Smooth Isld
9.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Norfolk Bay
9.12.1798. Flinders. Named after the expedition vessel, Norfolk.
Green Head
9.12.1798. Flinders. Its appearance.
Black Head
9.12.1798. Flinders. Descriptive.
Cape Pillar
9.12.1798. Flinders. Descriptive of its shape.
Tasman Island / Tasman Head / Tasman Peninsula
9.12.1798. Flinders. Named after its European discoverer, Abel Tasman, who sailed these waters in 1642. Six years earlier, D'Entrecasteaux had named the whole of the Tasman Peninsula 'Tasman Island', believing it to be an island. Furneaux had named it Cook's Peninsula. Baudin named Tasman Peninsula 'Baudin Island' and he called Tasman Head 'Cap Boreel'. It later became known as Hole In The Wall.
Banks Strait
Named after botanist Sir Joseph Banks.
Vansittart Isld
8.1.1799. Flinders. Named after Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (1766-1851). British politician. He entered Parliament in 1796, was joint secretary of the treasury (1801-4, 1806-7) and briefly secretary for Ireland (1805), and in 1812 he became chancellor of the exchequer under the 2d earl of Liverpool. He held office for 11 years, dealing with the problems of economic adjustment that followed the end of the Napoleonic Wars. A loyal follower of Viscount Sidmouth, he resigned (1823) not long after Sidmouth. He was raised to the peerage in 1823 and remained in the cabinet as chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster until 1828.
Chappell Isld
8.1.1799. Flinders. Named after Flinders' then-bride to be, Anne Chappelle.
Flinders Isld
8.1.1799. Flinders. Named after Samuel Flinders, 2nd Lieut., Investigator. He was Matthew Flinders' younger brother.
Babel Isld
9.12.1798. Flinders. the noise of many birds heard here.
Hogan Group / Hogan Isld
8.2.1798. Flinders.
Cutter Rock
8.2.1798. Flinders.
Crocodile Rock
8.2.1798. Flinders. Its shape.
Kent Group
8.2.1798. Flinders. Named after Capt. William Kent, Master of HMS Supply.
Judgement Rock / Seat
8.2.1798. Flinders. A rock which looked like an elevated seat.
Cone Pt
11.2.1798. Flinders. Shaped like a rhinoseros horn.
Hamilton Road
11.2.1798. Flinders. Named after Capt, Hamilton whose ship, Sydney Cove, was lost there.
Armstrong Channel
16.2.1798. Flinders. Named after Capt Armstrong, HMS supply, who saved the cargo of the Sydney Cove.
Pt Wombat
16.2.1798. Flinders. Wombats seen there.
Battery Isld
16.2.1798. Flinders. Four projections resembled gun mountings.
Clark Isld
16.2.1798. Flinders. Named after John Clark, of wrecked ship, Sydney Cove.
Kent Bay
20.2.1798. Flinders. Named after William Kent, master of HMS Supply.
Passage Pt / Passage Isle
20.2.1798. Flinders. A passage located between Cape Barren Island and Clark Island.
North East Isle
11.2.1798. Flinders. Its proximity to the rest of the islands in the group.
South West Isle
11.2.1798. Flinders. Its proximity to the rest of the islands in the group.
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