Matthew Flinders Argumentative Essay Example

journey from England, Flinders set out to explore the southern coast of New Holland, thus commencing the first detailed circumnavigation of Australia, often referred to as the 'island continent'.

During the Cape Catastrophe expedition, the ship's boat and its eight sailors, including Flinders' associate John Thistle, were lost. There were dramatic moments during the journey through the Great Barrier Reef and in the Gulf of Carpentaria, where conflicts with aborigines occurred. Additionally, there was an inspection of the deteriorating hull in the North. After restocking supplies in Timor, a growing number of crew members developed dysentery. With an increasing death toll and a heavy heart, Flinders had to abandon the rest of the survey and quickly head for Port Jackson.

During his return journey to England, Matthew Flinders faced various obstacles that hindered his smooth arrival. Although aboard the Porpoise and equipped with charts and journals, Flinders intended to arrange for a new ship to replace the Investigator. However, this plan was thwarted when he encountered a shipwreck on a coral reef off the coast of Queensland. Nonetheless, determined to make it back home, Flinders embarked on another voyage aboard the Cumberland. Unfortunately, he was detained by the French on Mauritius Island and endured lengthy imprisonment along with harsh conditions during his time at sea. These challenges likely contributed to his declining health, despite some writers disputing this idea. It is evident that these difficulties took a toll on his well-being. Eventually, Flinders managed to return to England where he finally received long overdue promotion. Nevertheless, despite his accomplishments, Flinders did not receive the fame or recognition he deserved.

After being absent for a long

time, Matthew and Ann finally came back together and had a daughter named Anne. Sadly, Matthew Flinders passed away on July 19, 1814, in London, after falling into a coma due to his illness. Ann and Anne, experiencing financial troubles in the subsequent years, received support from the governments of NSW and Victorian colonies years later. Although Ann had already passed away, Anne used the money to raise and educate William Matthew Flinders Petrie, the grandson of Matthew and Ann Flinders, who later achieved great prominence.

Matthew Flinders considered the geography of Australia's coastline extremely important. He prioritized the task of completing existing charts and became the first person to extensively explore the southern coast. In 1795, Flinders initially visited Port Jackson as a midshipman on the HMS Reliance, accompanying Captain John Hunter, the newly appointed Governor of New South Wales. In March 1800, Flinders returned to the Reliance and embarked on a journey back to England. On 6 December 1801, he reached Cape Leeuwin and proceeded to conduct a survey along the southern coast of mainland Australia.

On 8 April 1802, while sailing east, Flinders spotted the Geographe, a French corvette commanded by explorer Nicolas Baudin. Baudin was on a similar expedition for the French government. Both men were scientists and met to share information about their discoveries at Encounter Bay, as it would later be called. Continuing along the coast, Flinders also explored Port Phillip, although he did not know that it had already been discovered by John Murray on the Lady Nelson just 10 weeks earlier. Running low on supplies, Flinders then sailed to Sydney and arrived on 9 May 1802.

After

swiftly preparing the ship, Flinders embarked on another journey on 22 July. He sailed north and conducted a survey of the Queensland coast before navigating through the Torres Strait and exploring the Gulf of Carpentaria. Unfortunately, during this time, significant leakage issues were discovered on the ship. Despite attempts to fix it, these efforts proved unsuccessful. Reluctantly, Flinders returned to Sydney by taking the western coast route, successfully completing his circumnavigation of the continent. Finally arriving in Sydney on 9 June 1803, it was determined that the Investigator was no longer suitable for further use and was declared unserviceable.