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Matthew
Flinders carried out several important and daring voyages of discovery along coastal
portions of the land now known as Australia. Flinders was the first to consistently use the term Australia,
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, and
his work gave the map of Australia its present shape.
Matthew Flinders, an officer of the Royal Navy, first explored 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. After a surveying trip south in
the Francis, Flinders carried out important work in the Norfolk, including the
circumnavigation of Tasmania, also with George Bass. Soon after he
commanded the Norfolk
expedition to the waters of southern Qld. Interestingly, Matthew
Flinders is believed to have been an accomplished flute player, unusual
for a Royal Navy Commander.
On return to England, assisted by Joseph Banks, he lobbied for, and gained
command of the
expedition of his life - the first close circumnavigation
of Terra Australis. 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
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. 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. On his next attempt to get home, in the Cumberland, he was detained
by the French on Mauritius. His long imprisonment, combined with harsh
conditions during his years at sea, may have contributed to his
declining health, although some writers disagree with this
suggestion.
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.
Matthew Flinders died on 19 July, 1814, in London, after having lapsed
into a coma as a result of his illness. SOUND:
Bell Toll
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.
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.
Along with his positive
achievements, writers have documented the less successful aspects of
Flinders' nature and achievements. These claims will be noted, but not
evaluated here. Students undertaking research may wish to refer to
Flinders' journal (on-line) and the writings of others while carrying
out
their own assessments. He has been described as competitive (given his
attitude to the French expedition of Baudin), accused of giving less
attention to broader expedition aims (botany, anthropology, collection
of language, etc) than other leaders, too tolerant of a serious incident in
which members of his crew harmed aborigines in the Gulf of Carpentaria,
of an obstinate attitude that contributed to his lengthy detention in
Mauritius by the French, and of being a poor land explorer (he did not
find the mouths of the large rivers of northern NSW and southern Qld).
It could be argued that there are 'extenuating circumstances' in at
least some of these claims.
Matthew Flinders is respected
professionally for his high quality record taking and chart making, as well as the
skill and daring shown during his explorations of Australia. His
charts set new standards of excellence for the time, and many were used
for years afterwards. A great tribute to Flinders' professionalism comes from
the fact that his journal and charts still make for interesting
and informative reading 200 years after he took his observations. The
bicentenary of his expeditions has renewed interest in his work and
achievements.
Insight may be gained into the
personal nature of Matthew Flinders through a reading of his letters to
his wife, Ann, from whom he was separated for over nine years, and his journal,
particularly his response to the loss of crew members in the locality
named Cape Catastrophe. Flinders' letters to Ann offer considerable
understanding of his character, and a tender side rarely seen in a British
sea captain of the times. His journal entries commemorate, and form a
powerful and moving tribute to his friend and associate, John Thistle.
Other friends included Sir Joseph Banks, George Bass, Captain
Waterhouse, and the family which hosted him for much of his forced stay
on Mauritius. The relationship between Flinders and his brother Samuel
was complex, and at times, troubled. A wonderful friend was Trim, the
cat, who travelled widely with Matthew, entertained the crew, and who
could climb the mast faster than any sailor.
Importantly, for the times, Flinders appears to have held, and
mostly acted upon, an enlightened view of the indigenous people of
Australia. He regarded Bongaree, an aborigine from the Broken Bay area,
as among his friends, and generously
praised his good nature and value to the expeditions. Undoubtedly, Matthew Flinders RN, was one of the great maritime
explorers of the sailing era, with a staggering list of achievements
carried out in
a short time, brought about largely through his character and
perserverance.
The Mornington Chamber of Commerce (Vic) Web Site describes Matthew
Flinders thus:
'
The most generous, most learned
and most modest of
all the Australian explorers '
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Photo: Matthew Flinders plaque, Port Hacking, NSW
The following is written
on
the plaque above:
Matthew Flinders (1774-1814)
Naval navigator, hydrographer and discoverer. Born
Dornington
Lincolnshire, England.
At the age of 15 he entered the Royal Navy and as midshipman sailed
for
Port Jackson in 1795 meeting George Bass on the HMS Reliance.
Soon
after arrival Bass and Flinders made their first journey to Botany
Bay
and Georges River in the Tom Thumb.
This was followed by their second voyage in a second and larger
Tom Thumb, sailing further south to Lake Illawarra. In October
1798,
Flinders, now a Navy Lieutenant, commanded the Norfolk on a
successful
voyage to explore the possibility of a strait between the mainland and
Van
Diemens Land. George Bass accompanied Flinders on this voyage.
Flinders returned to England in March 1800, where he published his
"Observation of Coast of New South Wales" dedicated to
Sir Joseph Banks,
and received instructions to explore the southern coast of Australia.
Flinders sailed from England
in July 1801, sighted Cape Leeuwin Western Australia in December 1801. He proceded eastward and sailed into the
"Unknown Coast", exploring Spencers Gulf, Gulf St
Vincent and discovering Kangaroo Island, eventually
arriving in Sydney in May 1802. He refitted the Investigator and
on 22 July he sailed north, making
discoveries as he went. He eventually circumnavigated Australia and
arrived back at Port Jackson on the 9 June 1803.
After further adventures he returned to England and prepared his
monumental work "A Voyage to Terra
Australis" in which he was the first to systematically use the
name Australia, which was then
gradually adopted.
(God Save
the King)
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