Matthew Flinders 1774-1814

Next year we celebrate the bi-centenary of the birth of Matthew Flinders, a navigator of outstanding ability, noted chiefly in Australian history for his very accurate maps of the Australian coastline.

Born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1774, Flinders joined the Navy as a boy and came to Sydney in 1795 as a midshipman. On the same voyage, as ship's surgeon, was George Bass, and these two youthful crew members were to become close friends during the long months at sea. Soon after their arrival in Australia on 7th September, 1795, Bass and Flinders set out on their first expedition, exploring the coast south of Port Jackson in the "Tom Thumb", a tiny vessel barely eight feet in length which Bass had brought with him from England. On a subsequent expedition in a "Tom Thumb" slightly larger than the first, Bass, Flinders and Martin encountered some seemingly hostile aborigines after their boat had overturned. Flinders, it is said, rose to the occasion by taking out a pair of scissors and trimming the natives shaggy beards and hair while Bass and Martin quickly reloaded the boat for a hasty get-away.

In 1801, Flinders as commander of the "Investigator" was commissioned to chart the remaining unexplored coastline of Australia. He surveyed the south coast from Cape Leeuwin to Port Phillip Bay and his accurate charting of the latter inlet on the Victorian coast paved the way for the establishment of settlements there in later years. Bass and Flinders also proved the existence of Bass Strait, thus establishing beyond doubt that Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) was in fact separated from the mainland. This was a significant discovery in that it shortened the sailing time from England to Port Jackson by three weeks. On this, their last joint expedition, Bass and Flinders sailed completely round Van Diemens Land, naming the Derwent River. In 1802, Flinders followed the Australian coast northwards. Having charted the Gulf of Carpentaria he circumnavigated the entire Australian continent returning to Sydney on 9th June, 1803.

Matthew Flinders was a brilliant map maker and to this day numerous sites and landmarks such as Flinders Island, Flinders Street, Flinders Ranges perpetuate his great name in Australian history.

Eric Collyer writing in 1973 11 DTHS Newsletter