Who was Matthew Flinders?
Matthew Flinders was an English navigator who led the first recorded circumnavigation of the Australian continent in 1802 and 1803. He also helped popularize the name Australia for the land.
Flinders was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1774 and joined the Royal Navy as a teenager. He sailed to New South Wales in 1795, where he explored the coast with his friend George Bass, the ship's surgeon.
In 1798 and 1799, Flinders and Bass sailed around Tasmania, proving it was an island. The strait between Tasmania and the mainland was named Bass Strait.
Around the continent
Commanding HMS Investigator, Flinders charted much of the Australian coastline in 1801 to 1803, sailing all the way around the continent. His maps were remarkably accurate for the time.
On his way home, he was held prisoner by the French on Mauritius for more than six years. He finally returned to England and published his book A Voyage to Terra Australis in 1814, the year he died.
Many places are named after him, including the Flinders Ranges, Flinders Island and Flinders Street in Melbourne. His remains were rediscovered in London in 2019 during railway construction, and he was later reburied in his home village.
Did You Know?
Flinders sailed with a cat named Trim, who is commemorated with statues in Sydney and London.