MATTHEW FLINDERS By Ryan and Charles.

Matthew Flinders was amongst the most accomplished navigators and chart makers of any age.  The men who were to solve the last mystery about the coast of Australia were 2 friends, Matthew Flinders, a midshipmen and George Bass, a ship's Doctor. It was in 1795, that they arrived at Port Jackson, where settlements had been first made in 1788 and where convicts had already been brought.   

Bass owned a tiny boat called  The Tom Thumb, which was eight feet long and together they explored the coast around Botany Bay. They could not go very far in such a small boat and the next year in 1796, they obtained a larger boat built in Sydney which was also called the Tom Thumb to explore the south coast  of  Sydney.      

They had many adventures both on land sea. Once as they were landing, the natives looked as though they might attack. Flinders however solved the problem. He produced a pair of scissors and began to cut the Aborigine's hair and beard and soon the whole group were lined up to have their hair and beards cut. He only did it to distract their attraction.

     
Matthew Flinder's statue diagonally opposite Flinders Street Station outside St. Paul's Cathedral
Their last voyage was all around Australia. They started in Sydney and went all the way back around Australia and then sailed back to London and said, "This island should be called Australia."  
He died just after his book was published about the voyages with Bass and cutting the Aborigine's hair.

PROFILE

NAME: MATTHEW FLINDERS 1774-1814. 

HOBBY: SAILING

SHIP NAME: The Tomb Thumb.

 

The Flinders Street Station is the main station in Melbourne today. It was named after Matthew Flinders. There are a lot of famous streets in the middle of Melbourne named after him. These include, Flinders street and Flinders Lane.