The Navigators: The Great Race Between Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin for the North-South Passage Through Australia

by Klaus Toft

In 1800 it is widely rumoured that a strait separates the two halves of Australia. Napoleon Bonaparte, disturbed by the successful British colony at Sydney, sends famed explorer Nicolas Baudin and two ships to chart the strait, with a view to claiming the western part of the continent for France. In response, the British send the young and ambitious Matthew Flinders in pursuit in a leaky ship.

This is the exciting story of the race between the two men to discover the fabled strait, in the process completing the charting of the entire Australian coastline. It is a tale of exploration, super-powers at war, and of the huge collection of plants and animals brought back by Baudin's expedition, which enabled Josephine Bonaparte to create her Australian garden, Malmaison, near Paris. It is a story of lies and betrayal ending with the imprisonment of one captain and the death of the other.

Genres: History

333 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mary Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an accessible account of the mapping of Australia in the early 1800s. The Frenchman Nicholas Baudin set out in Le Geographe with an accompanying ship Le Naturaliste. His ships carried a large contingent of scientists to study the new lands of New Holland while also investigating and charting the west coast with a view to claim sovereignty for France. Throughout the trip Baudin struggled with command and needed to manage difficult personalities on board. Despite the challenges Baudin made significant contributions to mapping the west and south coast of Australia, although he died on the journey home to France. His adversary Peron rewrote Baudin’s diary of the journey, promoting his own achievements and downplaying the competence of Baudin. Possibly this is the reason Baudin is a name lost to history. Matthew Flinders had a different story. He left England in the Explorer and, ignoring instructions from the Admiralty, had smooth sailing to chart significant features of the southern coast of Australia. After a stay at the young Port Jackson colony Flinders went onto map parts of the east coast and the gulf of Carpentaria. He was detained on the return journey at the French out post, remarkably for more than six years. On return to England he was able to complete an account of his trip, before dying of kidney disease. Eventually his name Australia took hold, largely as a preference by the southern colony.

[Gail Stubber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the seafarers who chartered our world.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the rivalry to explore Australia between Nicolas Baudin and Mathew Flinders at the turn of the 19th century. A very easy, informative and enjoyable read

[Caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, informative, great!

[Corben Laidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, so much suffering on these boats.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1800, it was rumoured that a north-south strait separated the Australian continent into two. In 1798 an American, Captain Williamson, claimed to have sailed through the strait from the south coast to the Gulf of Carpentaria. At that time the British had only claimed the land as far west as longitude 135 degrees and if the strait existed; it would simplify any French territorial claim. Bonaparte sent Nicolas Baudin to chart the strait with a view to claiming the western half of the continent for France. In response, the British sent Matthew Flinders in pursuit.

Baudin had a head start of 9 months and was better equipped. The epic journeys of both Baudin and Flinders were sailed against the backdrop of wars between France and Britain. The journey resulted in the charting of the complete Australian coastline, in the death of one captain and in the imprisonment of the other. Perhaps Baudin’s most visible legacy was the huge collection of plants and animals returned to France enabling Josephine Bonaparte to create her garden at Malmaison, near Paris. Matthew Flinders sailed, eventually, into Australian history.

The achievements of neither man were recognised within their lifetimes. Baudin was unfairly blamed for France’s failure to colonise the Pacific. The crushing defeat of the French navy at Trafalgar (21 October 1805) meant that the French no longer posed a threat to Britain in the Pacific, and consequently Britain turned a largely blind eye to Flinders’s achievements.

In this book, Klaus Toft focuses on the race between the two and in doing so brings a comparatively unknown voyage of exploration to life. Both Baudin and Flinders were distinguished navigators and both deserve appropriate recognition. If you are interested in stories of exploration, and can locate a copy of this book, it is well worth reading.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Lyn O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book about the explorers Baudin,from France and Matthew Flinders. They were incredibly adventurous men who became competitors in their exploration of Australia. We could so easily have been a French colony! The story also provides insight into the motivation of the two countries. Acquisition and control of new colonies was important but also the quest for knowledge of new places and people was a driving force behing these expeditions.