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Australian Explorers

Australian Explorers covers the people who explored and charted Australia, opening up the inland and the waterways for settlement. Many returned from their journeys, a few did not; but they all contributed something to the knowledge of this vast continent.

465 Questions

Who were Matthew flinders' companions?

No. Sea explorer Matthew Flinders always had a substantial crew. At one stage, even his brother Samuel travelled with him. He was also known for travelling with George Bass to prove that Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) was an island.

Where did Matthew Flinders arrive at Australia?

Matthew Flinders first came to Australia in 1791 with Captain Bligh aboard the ship Providence, where he came across part of the southeast coast of Tasmania. He learnt a great many of his sailing skills under Bligh's tutelage.

What was the name of the explorer who first circumnavigated Australia mapping its coastline?

The first known explorer to circumnavigate the Australian continent was Matthew Flinders. Flinders sailed around Australia in the ship The Investigator between 1801 and 1803, filling in many of the gaps left by previous explorers. Flinders was the one who first proposed the name "Australia" for the continent.

Why did George Bass come to Australia?

George Bass never journeyed around Australia.

Sometimes in conjection with his friend Matthew Flinders, Bass mostly explored the coastline south of Sydney between 1795 and 1797.

This culminated in a voyage in which he sailed under the south coast of Australia as far as Westernport which suggested a strait existed between New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania.)

This was proved beyond doubt when he again teamed up with Matthew Flinders in 1798 and they circumnavigated Tasmania. The strait was then named for Bass.

It was Matthew Flinders who went onto circumnavigate Australia between 1801 and 1803. Bass had no part in that voyage.

What places did Matthew Flinders name?

Matthew Flinders named many places, among them the following: * On 17 July 1799, Matthew Flinders landed at and named Red Cliff Point, now Woody Point and a suburb of Redcliffe, north of Brisbane. * James Cook had named "Glass House Bay", which Flinders renamed Moreton Bay in 1799. As he sailed out of the bay, he also named Moreton Island, because he believed Cook would have done so, had he realised it was an island and not part of the mainland. * Also in 1799, an incident with aborigines on the south western side of Bribie Island caused Flinders to name the spot Skirmish Point. * Between Bribie Island and the mainland, a large amount of pumice stone in the area led him to name Pumice Stone River, which is now known as Pumicestone Passage * On 28 January 1802, Flinders anchored in Fowler's Bay on the southern coast, and described it as "a well sheltered cove affording wood and water". He named it after his first lieutenant, Robert Fowler. * On 24 February 1802, Flinders and his crew discovered Port Lincoln, on the southern end of what later became known as the Eyre Peninsula. Flinders wrote that he named it in honour of his native province. * On 8 August 1802, Flinders discovered an excellent harbour, sheltered and deep, on what is now the central Queensland coast. He named it Port Curtis after Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, commander-in-chief at the Cape of Good Hope. The port city of Gladstone now stands at that site. * Australia was previously known as New Holland, and Flinders first proposed the name "Terra Australis", which became "Australia", the name adopted in 1824.

Why did Matthew Flinders come to Australia?

Inspired by reports from Captain Cook's journeys, and wanting to be a sea adventurer and explorer after reading "Robinson Crusoe", Flinders came to Australia initially as an 18 year old Midshipman with Captain William Bligh in the "Providence", in 1792.

Where and when was Matthew Flinders first expedition?

Flinders' first voyage to New South Wales, and first trip to Port Jackson, was in 1795 as a midshipman aboard HMS Reliance, carrying the newly appointed governor of New South Wales Captain John Hunter.

Did Robert O'Hara Burke have a ship?

No. Robert O'Hara Burke was an overland explorer. He and his expedition travelled north from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria, through western Victoria and the desert country of far western New South Wales and Queensland.

Why is Edward John Eyre important?

Edward Eyre was important because, like each of the explorers, he added to the knowledge of what lay in Australia's interior. So much of his exploring was done in hope of advancing the newly established colony of SouthAustralia.

Eyre wanted to be the first to drive cattle overland from Sydney to the new colony of South Australia. He first explored in 1837, when he departed from Limestone Plains (today's site of Canberra), with over a thousand sheep and cattle. He travelled first to Melbourne, then tried to head directly west to Adelaide. Conditions were difficult, as it was a drought year, so he could not get through the mallee country of western Victoria. Eyre had to retrace his steps to the Murray River, and his first explorations were not successful.

In 1839, Eyre left Adelaide to explore north. He discovered excellent countryside just north of Adelaide and around today's Hutt River. It was on this journey that he discovered and named Mount Remarkable. Eyre finally arrived at the head of Spencer Gulf on 15 May 1839, where he discovered and named Depot Creek.

Eyre left Adelaide in June 1840 to explore north towards the centre of Australia. He did not get very far as he was blocked by salt lake after salt lake: each time he attempted to go around a salt lake, he found his way barred by yet another. This led to Eyre's theory that Adelaide was surrounded by a vast horseshoe-shaped salt lake. By sheer bad luck, Eyre was unable to locate any of the breaks between the numerous salt-lakes which encircled the area. In September 1840, Eyre climbed and named "Mt Hopeless". Following this unsuccessful attempt, Eyre returned to Streaky Bay, on the western coast of the Eyre Peninsula. From there he then travelled to past where Ceduna is today, reaching Fowler's Bay on 17 November 1840. At this point, he chose to go west, which no-one had ever tried before. He finally reached Albany in June 1841 in an amazing journey of courage and endurance across the Nullarbor Plain.

What did John Oxley do for Australia?

John Oxley contributed a great deal to the exploration of Australia, and he discovered many regions.

  • In 1817, Governor Macquarie ordered Oxley to follow the course of the Lachlan River, to determine where it led.
  • Oxley discovered and named the Bogan River, on 13 August 1817.
  • On 26 August 1818 Oxley and George Evans climbed a hill and saw before them rich, fertile plains which they named the Liverpool Plains after Lord Liverpool, the British Prime Minister. This countryside is now some of the richest in New South Wales.
  • On 23 October 1823, John Oxley sailed from Sydney to travel north along the coastline, with the aim of finding a suitable settlement for convicts in the north.
  • On 2 December 1823, Oxley came across the entrance to the Brisbane River, which ticket-of-leave convict timber-getters, Parsons, Pamphlett and Finnegan had already discovered by accident. Oxley was subsequently credited with the discovery of the Brisbane River.Oxley undertook numerous expeditions of exploration in Australia.

How long did Edward John Eyre live?

Edward John Eyre was 85 years old when he died. He was born on 5 August 1815 and died on 30 November 1901.

What was Edward John Eyre most known for?

Australian explorer Edward Eyre was arguably best known for his incredible feat of crossing the Nullarbor Plain from Streaky Bay, on the western coast of the Eyre Peninsula, to Albany, or King George's Sound, in Western Australia. Eyre was the first to travel across the Nullarbor Plain.

Are there any places named after Edward John Eyre?

Yes:

  • Lake Eyre (South Australia)
  • Eyre Peninsula (South Australia)
  • Eyre River (Western Australia)
  • Eyre (small settlement in South Australia)
  • Eyre Highway

Where did Allan Cunningham explore in Queensland?

Cunningham discovered the rich farming land of the Darling Downs (1827) which led to inland settlement of what is now southern Queensland, and Cunningham's Gap (1828). The discovery of Cunningham's Gap meant that landowners on the Darling Downs did not need to send their products overland to Sydney and markets, but could take the shorter and easier route of coastal shipping.

When did john oxley get married?

John Oxley married Elizabeth Anne Dumaresq on March 9, 1820. Their marriage took place in Sydney, Australia. Oxley was a prominent explorer and surveyor known for his expeditions in New South Wales and Queensland.

What effect did Edward John Eyre have on the development of Australia?

Edward Eyre had a significant effect in bridging the gap between east and west. Prior to his expedition, no one knew what lay between Adelaide and Perth. Eyre's journey paved the way for the building of a road, and later a railway, after his route was surveyed several decades later by John Forrest.

Unfortunately, Eyre also slowed development of a route between the south and the north. Due to his bad luck in striking several of the smaller salt lakes thay lay in central South Australia, he believed that a huge horseshoe-shaped salt lake lay between Adelaide and the northern coast, and his reports that it was impossible to get through influenced the direction of Australian exploration for the next two decades by preventing anyone from attempting to get through.

Was John Forrest famous?

Yes.

John Forrest was an Australian explorer from Western Australia. He also became the first Premier of Western Australia.

In 1869, Forrest led the search for Ludwig Leichhardt's expedition which had gone missing while travelling across Australia from east to west. This search was unsuccessful, but it gave Forrest the chance to do what he wished, which was to explore the uncharted areas of Western Australia.

In 1870, Forrest surveyed the route which Edward Eyre had taken in 1840-41 from Adelaide to Albany, across the Great Australian Bight. As the main route from eastern Australia overland to the west, he realised it needed to be surveyed so a road could be built, and later a railway.

Where did Hamilton Hume explore?

Hamilton Hume's first exploration was with James Meehan in 1818. His aim was to find an overland route from Sydney to Jervis Bay in southern NSW. They travelled upstream along the Shoalhaven Gorge, then turned southwest to Lake Bathurst, south of where Goulburn now lies. During this journey, Hume discovered the fertile Goulburn Plains.

In 1824, Hume, together with William Hovell, explored southwest from Sydney, travelling overland down through the region now known as Victoria, and to Corio Bay, not far from Port Phillip Bay. Hume and Hovell discovered and mapped numerous rivers in what is now Victoria, adding to the knowledge of inland Australia.

Dates of Charles Sturt and Thomas Mitchell's expeditions?

For dates and places Charles Sturt and Thomas Mitchell explored, see the related questions.