Matthew Flinders

Born in Donington, Lincolnshire in 1774, Matthew Flinders was the son of a surgeon and was initially expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, inspired by tales of maritime exploration, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 and quickly distinguished himself as a skilled navigator and cartographer, participating in several voyages to Australia in the 1790s.

In 1801, Flinders was given command of the HMS Investigator and tasked with circumnavigating and charting the coast of Australia. He completed this monumental feat by 1803, becoming the first person to sail entirely around the continent. Flinders is also credited with popularising the name ‘Australia’ for the landmass, which he used in his influential work A Voyage to Terra Australis.

Despite his achievements, Flinders faced significant hardships. He was detained in Mauritius for nearly seven years during his return voyage to England due to ongoing hostilities between Britain and France. After his release in 1810, he devoted his remaining years to writing and publishing his accounts of Australian exploration. Flinders died in 1814, just one day after the publication of his seminal work.