Matthew Flinders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matthew Flinders
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Portrait by Antoine Toussaint de Chazal, painted in Mauritius in 1806–07
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| Born | 16 March 1774 Donington, Lincolnshire, England
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| Died | 19 July 1814 (aged 40) London, England
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| Resting place | St James's burial ground, Camden (until 2019) |
| Occupation | Royal Navy officer |
| Years active | 1791–1814 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ann Chappelle
(m. 1801) |
| Children | 1 |
Matthew Flinders (born 16 March 1774 – died 19 July 1814) was a famous British navigator and mapmaker. He was a Captain in the Royal Navy.
Flinders went on many discovery trips between 1791 and 1803. His most famous journey was the first trip around the entire coast of mainland Australia. He is known for being the first person to use the name Australia for the whole continent, including Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). Sadly, Flinders died before his chosen name for the continent became widely used.
Contents
Matthew Flinders was born in Donington, Lincolnshire, England. His father, also named Matthew, was a surgeon. Matthew went to school in Donington and Horbling.
In 1789, when he was just 15, Flinders joined the Royal Navy. He started as a servant on HMS Alert. Soon after, he moved to other ships and became a midshipman on HMS Bellerophon in 1790.
Exciting Expeditions and Discoveries
Flinders took part in many expeditions between 1791 and 1803. In 1795, he joined HMS Reliance as a midshipman, heading to New South Wales. On this trip, Flinders became good friends with the ship's surgeon, George Bass. Bass joined Flinders on many of his future voyages.
In 1795, Bass and Flinders explored in a small open boat called Tom Thumb. They sailed to Botany Bay and up the Georges River. In 1796, they used a bigger boat, Tom Thumb II. They sailed south from Port Jackson, exploring areas like Port Hacking (Deeban).
By 1798, Flinders was a lieutenant. He was given command of the sloop Norfolk. With Bass, he sailed around the northern and western coasts of Van Diemen's Land. This trip proved that Van Diemen's Land was an island, separate from the mainland. The passage was named Bass Strait after his friend. Later, the largest island in the strait was named Flinders Island in his honor.
In 1799, Flinders explored the coast north of Port Jackson in the Norfolk again. George Bass had returned to Britain, so Flinders brought his brother Samuel and a Kuringgai man named Bungaree on this trip. They left on 8 July 1799.
In the northern part of Moreton Bay, Flinders found a narrow waterway. He called it the Pumice Stone River, not knowing it separated Bribie Island from the mainland. Today, it's called the Pumicestone Passage. Flinders continued north to Hervey Bay before returning to Sydney on 20 August 1799.
In January 1801, Flinders was promoted to commander. He was given command of HMS Investigator, a 334-ton ship. He set sail for New Holland on 18 July 1801, with the goal of mapping the Australian coastline.
Scientists joined the expedition, including the botanist Robert Brown and artist William Westall.
Aboard Investigator, Flinders reached and named Cape Leeuwin on 6 December 1801. He then surveyed the southern coast of the Australian mainland.
After getting supplies in Sydney, Flinders continued north. He mapped the coast of what is now Queensland. The journey became harder as they entered the Great Barrier Reef. Flinders sailed out of the reefs near the Whitsunday Islands and headed north to the Torres Strait. On 29 October, they arrived at Murray Island. There, they traded iron for shell necklaces with the local people.
The expedition entered the Gulf of Carpentaria on 4 November. They charted the coast to Arnhem Land. On 17 February 1803, they met a Makassan fishing fleet. Flinders learned a lot about the region from their captain, Pobasso.
During this part of the voyage, the Investigator was found to be badly damaged. Flinders decided to finish circling the continent without doing more detailed mapping. He arrived back in Sydney on 9 June 1803. The Investigator was too damaged to sail and was taken out of service.
Detained in Mauritius
Flinders then took command of a small ship, the 29-ton schooner HMS Cumberland, to return to England. However, the ship was in poor condition. He had to stop for repairs at the French-controlled Isle de France (now Mauritius) on 17 December 1803. This was just three months after another famous explorer, Baudin, had died there.
War with France had started again. Flinders hoped his French passport and the scientific nature of his trip would allow him to continue. However, the French governor, Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen, detained Flinders. Decaen was suspicious because the Cumberland had no scientists. He also found a trunk full of official papers that were not allowed under Flinders' scientific passport.
Decaen asked the French government what to do, but the war caused delays. Even after Napoleon approved Flinders' release in 1806, Decaen still refused. He worried that Flinders knew too much about the island's defenses. Finally, in June 1810, Flinders was released. He traveled back to England, where he was promoted to post-captain.
In November 1804, while detained, Flinders sent the first map of the landmass he had charted back to England. This map was special because he used the name "Australia or Terra Australis" for the title. Before this, the continent was often called New Holland.
Flinders finally returned to England in October 1810. He was not well, but he immediately began working on his book, A Voyage to Terra Australis, and his maps. His map of Terra Australis or Australia was published in January 1814.
Death and Reburial
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Matthew Flinders died on 19 July 1814, at age 40, from kidney disease. This was the day after his book and maps were published. He was unconscious and never saw his completed work. He was buried on 23 July in a burial ground in London. Over time, the exact location of his grave was forgotten.
In January 2019, archaeologists found his grave! His coffin was identified by a well-preserved lead plate. There are plans to re-bury his remains in the church in Donington, where he was baptized.
Family Life
On 17 April 1801, Flinders married his longtime friend Ann Chappelle (1772–1852). He wanted to take her with him to Australia, but the Navy had strict rules against wives joining captains. Flinders tried to ignore the rules, but the Navy found out and ordered him to remove her from the ship.
Because of this, Ann had to stay in England. She did not see her husband for nine years while he was detained in Mauritius. When they finally reunited, Matthew and Ann had one daughter, Anne (born 1812). Anne later married William Petrie. Their son, William Matthew Flinders Petrie, became a famous archaeologist and Egyptologist.
Flinders' Lasting Legacy
Matthew Flinders is considered a very important explorer of South Australia. Many places are named after him, including:
- The Flinders Ranges and Flinders Ranges National Park
- Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre
- Flinders Street in Adelaide and Flinders Street in Melbourne
- Flinders Bay in Western Australia
- Flinders Island in Bass Strait
There are also statues of Flinders across Australia. In July 2014, a large bronze statue of Flinders was unveiled in London. It was later placed at Euston station, near where his grave was found.
Australia has honored him on postage stamps multiple times. A type of tree, Flindersia, is named after him, as is a type of fish, the eastern school whiting.
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Flinders landed on Coochiemudlo Island on 19 July 1799. The island's residents celebrate "Flinders Day" every year to remember his landing.
A monument called Matthew Flinders Lookout in Urangan commemorates his explorations of the Hervey Bay area. There is also a Captain Flinders Memorial in Maconde, Mauritius, near where he landed in 1803.
Interesting Facts About Matthew Flinders
- Flinders decided to become a navigator after reading the adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
- His first visit to the Australian continent was in February 1792. He arrived at Adventure Bay as part of William Bligh's expedition.
- Flinders was not the very first person to use the word "Australia," but he was the first to use it specifically for the continent.
- More than 100 places and features in Australia are named after him.
- In his hometown of Donington, England, a statue of Flinders was put up in 2006. It also shows his beloved cat, Trim, who sailed with him.
- Flinders noticed that tides in some shallow gulfs seemed to stop for several days. He called this a "dodge tide."
- He also suggested using iron bars to help ships' compasses work better. These are now known as Flinders bars.
See also
In Spanish: Matthew Flinders para niños
- Flinders bar
- List of explorers
- Trim (cat)
Images for kids
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1744 Chart of Hollandia Nova – Terra Australis by Emanuel Bowen.
