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Terra Australis Matthew Flinders' Great Adventures in the Circumnavigation of Australia
Matthew Flinders is the man who gave Australia its name.
A Voyage to Terra Australis, first published in two volumes in 1814, is his masterwork in which he vividly describes his voyages to map the great island continent between 1796 and 1803.
Brilliantly edited and introduced by Tim Flannery, this version includes the journey Flinders made with George Bass to prove that Tasmania is an island, his herculean voyage in the Investigator circumnavigating Australia and his account of the wreck of the Porpoise. Flinders writes about his meetings with Aborigines, his encounters with French explorers and Macassan fishing fleets, and about the unforgettable wilderness of Australia.
A Voyage to Terra Australis, first published in two volumes in 1814, is his masterwork in which he vividly describes his voyages to map the great island continent between 1796 and 1803.
Brilliantly edited and introduced by Tim Flannery, this version includes the journey Flinders made with George Bass to prove that Tasmania is an island, his herculean voyage in the Investigator circumnavigating Australia and his account of the wreck of the Porpoise. Flinders writes about his meetings with Aborigines, his encounters with French explorers and Macassan fishing fleets, and about the unforgettable wilderness of Australia.
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1814
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132 people want to read
About the author
Tim Flannery
132 books392 followersTim Flannery is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 21, 2024
I'm somewhat tempted to bump this up to four stars. It was a really great, interesting, curious read. It is in some way incredible that here in such cogent and readable writing is a description of my home country before it was settled. Matthew Flinders is a very human fellow, who loves and misses his wife, and cares about his fellow sailors.
The big negative, and this would not bother some people, is the absence of maps throughout the book. It was sometimes quite hard to follow exactly where Flinders was at certain points. It became much easier to understand when he began mapping the coastline of what is today South Australia, because I have a greater knowledge of the geography - I can recognise Fowler's Bay, Gulf St Vincent, the Investigator Strait, and so on. But much of the time I didn't have a particularly good understanding of where Flinders was. It wouldn't have been too hard to break the text up a bit and add some maps.
But the journey, oh, great stuff! My discover that Kangaroo Island is so named because they arrived there and with the kangaroos dull and unresposive, shot many of them and had a feast. The search for water. The Aboriginals, largely peaceful and good to deal with, occasionally thieving, and Flinders' affection for his friend on board, Bongaree. The shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef and the rescue party to bring the sailors home. At times it is dull but there are moments of excitement.
If you're a fan of Australian history, worth a read. But, for most of us, this is probably a pass. It could be better with maps.
The big negative, and this would not bother some people, is the absence of maps throughout the book. It was sometimes quite hard to follow exactly where Flinders was at certain points. It became much easier to understand when he began mapping the coastline of what is today South Australia, because I have a greater knowledge of the geography - I can recognise Fowler's Bay, Gulf St Vincent, the Investigator Strait, and so on. But much of the time I didn't have a particularly good understanding of where Flinders was. It wouldn't have been too hard to break the text up a bit and add some maps.
But the journey, oh, great stuff! My discover that Kangaroo Island is so named because they arrived there and with the kangaroos dull and unresposive, shot many of them and had a feast. The search for water. The Aboriginals, largely peaceful and good to deal with, occasionally thieving, and Flinders' affection for his friend on board, Bongaree. The shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef and the rescue party to bring the sailors home. At times it is dull but there are moments of excitement.
If you're a fan of Australian history, worth a read. But, for most of us, this is probably a pass. It could be better with maps.
June 24, 2014
All Australians should read this book. It's breathtaking.
April 4, 2021
This is an absolute classic. Flinders was the grade A explorer, a master navigator and mariner and ship's master. I loved his descriptions of the new (to Europeans) territories he saw for the first time and precisely pinpointed on the map. I particularly enjoyed his description as he travelled through Bass Strait and proved that Tasmania was an island. In his dealings with the 'Indians' he appeared to be firm and fair, but clearly like most of the early colonial explorers was hampered by his lack of knowledge of aboriginal customs and language. I was disappointed that this book ends before Flinders reached Mauritius and his incarceration for several years by a vindictive French Governor and before he could relate his discoveries in Britain. I am now looking for a book that covers this period and the impact of his discovery on the powers that be, so any suggestions are welcomed.
July 23, 2018
To get the benefit of reading this book you need an excellent knowledge of the geography of coastal Australia, and all its bays and islands. Failing this knowledge, the book is entertaining, but not one I would recommend to anyone other that someone with a real interest in Australian history.
January 18, 2010
A most fascinating insight into the exploration of Australia, or New Holland as it was, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Flinders made five different trips from 1796 to 1803 around the coastline, mapping it and collecting species as he went. He sailed in the Tom Thumb, the Norfolk, the Investigator, twice, and the Porpoise.
His second trip in the Investigator was brought to an end because shipwrights condemned the boat and then when he sailed again in the Porpoise it ran aground, on appropriately named Wreck Reef! Flinders made a perilous journey in an open boat to get help and succeeded, saving all his documentation and instruments along the way.
On the occasions he made land he discovered kangaroos and many aborigines, some friendly others not so, and it is certainly eye-opening to read of his excursions in a then undiscovered country.
... and to think the television show Neighbours came from such modest beginnings!!!! And they sometimes beat us at cricket!!!!
Flinders made five different trips from 1796 to 1803 around the coastline, mapping it and collecting species as he went. He sailed in the Tom Thumb, the Norfolk, the Investigator, twice, and the Porpoise.
His second trip in the Investigator was brought to an end because shipwrights condemned the boat and then when he sailed again in the Porpoise it ran aground, on appropriately named Wreck Reef! Flinders made a perilous journey in an open boat to get help and succeeded, saving all his documentation and instruments along the way.
On the occasions he made land he discovered kangaroos and many aborigines, some friendly others not so, and it is certainly eye-opening to read of his excursions in a then undiscovered country.
... and to think the television show Neighbours came from such modest beginnings!!!! And they sometimes beat us at cricket!!!!
September 13, 2016
Dry in many parts and more of an exercise in historical approaches to anthropology, I feel this would be of interest to anyone whose people are from the areas Flinders mentions (mid to north QLD & parts of the Strait) but the text misses the human aspect too much to be otherwise engaging. Flinders was a navigator, not a "discoverer".
If you're looking for a colonial take on "discovery" more generally, and are not concerned with Australia specifically, a more interesting book is Mungo Park’s "Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa", which is much earlier and describes interactions, trade and culture in greater depth.
If you're looking for a colonial take on "discovery" more generally, and are not concerned with Australia specifically, a more interesting book is Mungo Park’s "Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa", which is much earlier and describes interactions, trade and culture in greater depth.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews