Matthew Flinders

This explorer tied the knot with his close friend Ann Chappelle, in 1801. The couple then became parents to a girl-child named Anne. The explorer had to stay away from his wife for nine years due to his imprisonment.

Flinders succumbed to his death in London, during the year 1814, at the age of 40.

Quite a few places and institutions in Australia have been named after this great explorer. Some of the prominent ones amongst these include ‘Flinders Ranges National Park’, ‘Mathew Flinders Girls Secondary College’ as well as ‘Flinders Street’, located in Adelaide.

Mathew was born to Susannah and Mathew Flinders on the 16th of March, 1774 at Donington village, located in Lincolnshire. He pursued his primary education at a locally situated grammar school.

In 1789, he was appointed as a member the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, the lad was hardly fifteen years old back then. He was initially deputed on ‘HMS Alert’, after which he moved to the vessel ‘HMS Scipio’.

The very next year, he travelled along with the British navy officer William Bligh to Tahiti, a place located in the Pacific Ocean. Transportation of breadfruit was one of the intentions behind this voyage.

Flinders, next, got the opportunity to be a part of the crew of ‘HMS Reliance’, which also included Captain John Hunter, the Governor of New South Wales aboard. In 1795, this ship travelled to ‘Port Jackson’, located in New South Wales.

During this voyage, Mathew became friends with George Bass, a surgeon whom he met on the ship. These two, later went on to travel together to places like Botany Bay, located in New South Wales, as well as Lake Illawara.

Flinders was eventually promoted to the designation of a lieutenant and given the opportunity to command the vessel ‘Norfolk’ in 1798. The purpose of this journey was to travel through places like Furneaux’s Islands, located between Victoria and Tasmania as well as Van Diemen’s islands. One of the largest islands found during this stretch was later named ‘Flinder’s Islands’.

The sailor then travelled to Moreton Bay, located in the eastern coast of Australia in 1799, on the vessel named ‘Norfolk’.

During one of his voyages, Mathew met the English naturalist and botanist named Sir Joseph Banks. Impressed by Mathew’s skills, Banks helped the sailor command the ship ‘HMS Investigator’ in 1801. The intention of the journey was to explore the coastline of Holland.

Flinders is most popular for coining the name ‘Australia’, after the land he had discovered during one of his voyages. In a letter to Botanist Sir Joseph Banks, he mentioned the word ‘Australia’ as a way to refer to the land which he had explored.