Matthew Flinders Circumnavigates Australia

In 1800, Matthew Flinders proposed to the Royal Navy a scientific expedition to survey the entire coast of Terra Australis. Sailing north from Port Jackson in the Investigator, this voyage was completed in 1803. Flinders then attempted to return to England with his maps but was detained on Mauritius for seven years. Although seriously ill, his first map of Australia was completed in 1814 only days before his tragic death.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Dangerous Passage – A Maritime History of the Torres Strait, Alfred Street Press, 2024, ISBN 9780645106855

COURSE OUTLINE

• Learn of the early life of Matthew Flinders
• Follow the first circumnavigation of Van Diemen’s Land/Tasmania
• Follow the first circumnavigation of Terra Australis/Australia
• Learn of his seven year detention on Mauritius, the publication of his first map of Australia and his tragic death.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Be familiar with the life of Matthew Flinders.
2. Understand him as a great navigator who was the first to circumnavigate Australia.
3. Understand the difficulties he encountered in producing his first map of Australia.