George Bass facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Bass
Engraving of Bass from The Naval Pioneers of Australia by Louis Becke and Walter Jeffery, 1899
Born	(1771-01-30)30 January 1771 Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England
Disappeared	5 February 1803 (aged 32) Last seen before leaving Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Ship's surgeon and explorer
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Waterhouse

George Bass (30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was an English naval surgeon and daring explorer of Australia. He was a brave sailor who mapped unknown coasts. He proved that Tasmania, once known as Van Diemen's Land, was an island completely separated from mainland Australia. Today, the famous waterway called Bass Strait bears his name. He was also a talented naturalist who studied unusual plants and animals.

Early Life and Medical Education of George Bass

George Bass was born on 30 January 1771 in Aswarby, a small hamlet near Sleaford in Lincolnshire, England. His father was a hardworking tenant farmer named George Bass, and his mother was named Sarah Newman. When young George was only six years old, his father died in 1777. His mother worked hard to provide him with a good education.

George went to Boston Grammar School in Lincolnshire. He enjoyed learning about science and natural history. Later, he trained as an apprentice in medicine at a hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire. He studied human anatomy, medicines, and surgical tools. He was a bright student with a keen eye for detail.

At the young age of 18, Bass went to London. He passed his examinations and became an accepted member of the Company of Surgeons. In 1794, Bass joined the Royal Navy as an official ship surgeon. Life in the navy was tough, but it gave Bass the chance to travel the world.

Sailing to Australia and First Adventures

In 1795, Bass boarded the naval vessel HMS Reliance and set sail for Sydney in New South Wales. He arrived on 7 September 1795. On this long journey, Bass met several important historical figures. These travellers included his close friend Matthew Flinders, who was a skilled navigator. He also met Governor John Hunter and an Indigenous Australian named Bennelong. Bass also brought his young assistant named William Martin.

Bass loved adventure and brought a very small boat aboard the ship. The boat was only eight feet long and five feet wide. Because it was tiny, Bass named it the Tom Thumb. Bass and Flinders could not wait to explore the new land. In October 1795, Bass, Flinders, and William Martin sailed the little boat out of Port Jackson. They sailed toward Botany Bay and entered the flowing Georges River.

The three explorers rowed further upstream than any European had gone before. They took careful notes of the surrounding bushland and soil quality. Their glowing reports helped settlers establish the new community of Banks' Town. Bass proved that small open boats could travel into unknown waters.

In March 1796, the brave team decided to venture out again. This time, they used a slightly larger boat named the Tom Thumb II. They rowed out into the rolling ocean swells. During this expedition, they travelled south down the coastline toward Lake Illawarra. They charted the bay at Port Hacking and met local Aboriginal groups along the shore.

Later that same year, Bass went exploring on foot. He found fertile farming land near Prospect Hill. He even helped locate stray cattle that had wandered away from the famous First Fleet. Bass also attempted to cross the rugged Blue Mountains. Although thick cliffs forced him to turn back, he gained valuable bushcraft experience.

Great Whaleboat Journey to Western Port

Voyages of George Bass

Memorial (1912) to the "discovery and naming" of Western Port on 4 January 1798, at Flinders, Victoria.

In 1797, Bass set out on his most daring solo expedition without Flinders. He took an open whaleboat measuring less than thirty feet long. His crew consisted of six volunteer naval sailors. Bass sailed south toward Cape Howe, which marked the southeastern tip of mainland Australia.

From Cape Howe, Bass turned west along the wild coastline of the Gippsland region of Victoria. The seas were rough, and giant waves crashed against their open wooden boat. Bass sailed as far as Western Port, near the entrance to Port Phillip. Modern-day Melbourne now stands on the northern shore of that bay.

During this voyage, Bass noticed something very interesting about the water. Near Wilson's Promontory, the ocean tides rushed through with great speed. He also felt a massive southwest swell coming from the open ocean. Bass made an educated guess that an open waterway separated the mainland from Van Diemen's Land.

Bass made important scientific stops during his travels. He visited the Kiama district to examine native plants and rocks. He was amazed by the spectacular Kiama Blowhole, where ocean waves shoot high into the air. Bass wrote detailed descriptions of the volcanic geology around the blowhole, explaining how underground sea caves formed.

Sailing Around Tasmania on the Sloop Norfolk

Proving Van Diemen's Land Was an Island

In 1798, Bass and Matthew Flinders joined forces to test Bass's theory about the southern passage. Governor Hunter provided them with a wooden ship called the Norfolk. The two explorers sailed south to completely circumnavigate the large landmass of Van Diemen's Land.

Bass and Flinders sailed through rough weather and mapped hidden bays. Bass entered the wide estuary of the Derwent River. Captain John Hayes had first visited this river in 1793. Bass wrote excellent reports praising the deep harbour. His observations led directly to the founding of the city of Hobart in 1803.

When they returned safely to Sydney, Flinders praised Bass for his great insight and bravery. Flinders asked Governor John Hunter to name the newly discovered waterway Bass Strait. Flinders wrote that this name honored his friend's courageous journey in an open whaleboat. Bass showed great modesty and never bragged about having the huge strait named after him.

Bass as an Early Australian Naturalist

Bass was not just a brave sailor; he was also a passionate scientist. He carefully gathered plant specimens and sent them to Sir Joseph Banks in London. Sir Joseph was one of the most famous botanists in Great Britain. Bass wrote letters describing the unusual trees, mosses, and flowers he discovered.

Because of his valuable research, Bass was made an honorary member of the Society for Promoting Natural History. This distinguished group later became part of the famous Linnean Society. His field notes appeared in books written by colonial leader David Collins. Bass also studied strange native wildlife, becoming one of the first European naturalists to write a scientific account of the burrowing marsupial called the wombat.

Business Ventures and the Search for Trade

Marriage and Trading on the High Seas

On 8 October 1800, Bass married Elizabeth Waterhouse at St James's Church, Westminster. She was the sister of his close friend Henry Waterhouse, who had commanded the Reliance. In January 1801, Bass set sail back to Australia. He had to leave his new wife behind in England. The couple sent letters across the ocean, but they never saw each other again.

Bass formed a trading company with several wealthy investors. They bought a fast, copper-sheathed sailing brig named the Venus. Bass loaded the ship with valuable goods to sell in Port Jackson. His close associates included Thomas Jamison, who served as head doctor on Norfolk Island.

When Bass arrived in Sydney, he found the market flooded with goods. Governor King managed the local government budget tightly and refused to purchase the cargo. However, the colony faced a serious food shortage. Governor King hired Bass to sail to the tropical islands of Tahiti to purchase salt pork.

Voyages Across the Pacific Ocean

Pork was cheap in the lush Society Islands, making the contract profitable for everyone. Bass sailed with his sailing partner Charles Bishop across the stormy Pacific. They stopped at Dusky Sound in the southern region of New Zealand. There, the crew visited an old shipwreck named the Endeavour, originally commanded by Captain Brampton.

The sailors worked for fourteen days salvaging iron metal from the wrecked ship. They forged the iron into valuable cutting axes. Bass traded these tools with islanders in Tahiti in exchange for barrels of food. He returned safely to Sydney in November 1802 with a full cargo of supplies.

In January 1803, Bass asked Governor King for exclusive fishing rights around southern New Zealand. His planned fishing grounds stretched from Dusky Sound across to Otago Harbour, near modern Dunedin. It also covered remote spots like the Antipodes Islands. Bass hoped to build a thriving fishing and trading business in the South Pacific.

The Mysterious Final Voyage

On 5 February 1803, George Bass set sail from Sydney aboard the Venus on another trading mission. His official plan was to buy more food supplies in Tahiti. If necessary, he planned to sail to ports controlled by the Spanish Empire along the coast of Chile.

Trading directly with Spanish colonies was difficult because Spain only allowed its own merchants to trade there. However, many remote Spanish towns welcomed foreign trading ships because they needed manufactured goods. Bass carried a diplomatic letter from Governor King. The letter stated that Bass was an honest merchant searching only for basic supplies.

Bass sailed out into the deep blue ocean, but his ship never returned. Weeks turned into months with no word from the crew. Governor King and friends in Sydney feared that the ship had been lost in heavy storms. In January 1806, naval authorities in England listed Bass as lost at sea. His wife Elizabeth received support funds usually provided to naval widows.

Legends and Theories About the Fate of Bass

Over the years, many people wondered what happened to the famous explorer. One popular sea story came from William Campbell, captain of the brig Harrington. Campbell claimed that Spanish authorities had captured Bass and sent him to work in mountain mines. However, official records showed that Campbell's timeline did not match up. Furthermore, when British captives held in South America gained freedom in 1808, Bass was not among them.

Another writer named Jørgen Jørgensen claimed in his 1835 autobiography that Bass had fought with Spanish soldiers. Most historians agree that Jørgensen simply made up this exciting tale. Later, Spanish scholar Pascual de Gayangos in 1903 and Peruvian researcher Jorge Ortiz-Sotelo in 2003 checked old government documents. Neither historian found any mention of Bass or the Venus. Most modern experts believe his ship simply sank during a violent Pacific storm.

Memory and Lasting Legacy

Western Port 200th anniversary of discovery re-enactment plaque.

George Bass remains one of the most famous maritime explorers in Australian history. In 1963, the government postal service Australia Post created a special postage stamp to honour his life. In 1998, Australia issued another stamp celebrating his voyages alongside Matthew Flinders.

People also built monuments to celebrate his remarkable journeys. In 1998, sailors marked the 200th anniversary of his whaleboat journey by sailing an identical wooden boat to Western Port. They added a special bronze plaque to the historic memorial in the coastal town of Flinders.

Many geographic landmarks throughout Australia and the Pacific carry his name:

• Bass Highway (Tasmania) and the Bass Highway (Victoria)
• The suburb of Bass Hill, New South Wales
• The coastal headland of Bass Point
• The world-famous waterway of Bass Strait
• The flowing waters of the Bass River
• The Victorian country town of Bass, Victoria
• The political voting districts named Division of Bass (federal) and Division of Bass (state)
• The coastal viewing reserve at Bass and Flinders Point in Cronulla, New South Wales
• The coastal roadway George Bass Drive from Batehaven to Moruya Airport near Batemans Bay, New South Wales
• The remote Bass Islands (French Polynesia) in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Bass showed great curiosity, bravery, and scientific skill. His accurate coastal charts helped make ocean sailing much safer for future generations.

See Also

In Spanish: George Bass para niños

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea