Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders was inspired to become a seafarer by reading the book Robinson Crusoe. This book was based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk. The book tells the story of a man marooned on an island. The man became closer to God by reading the Bible. The author of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, was a Christian who lived from around 1660 to 1731.

In 1801, Flinders was given the task of mapping the whole coastline of New Holland. He was an expert navigator and cartographer. It was Flinders who gave New Holland another name. He was inspired by the name De Quiros used centuries earlier - La Australia Del Espritu Santo. He called this land Australia.

Flinders was the very first person to travel around the entire island-continent of Australia. He did this in 1802-1803. Flinders took his faithful cat, Trim, on this and other joumeys.

Flinders was known for being an honest man with high morals. He was also known for his faithfulness to his wife, whom he only saw for six months out of almost ten years. Flinders asked for God's blessing as he set out to circumnavigate Australia;

"to make so accurate an investigation of the shores of Terra Australis that... with the blessing of God, nothing of importance would be left for future discoverers upon any part of these extensive coasts".