Charts of Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders’ final journey, centuries after he put Australia on the map
The British Naval Captain Matthew Flinders (1774 - 1814) could never have imagined that he would be reburied with fanfare in 2024, almost 200 years after his extraordinary life was cut short.
But that’s exactly what is planned from July 12, 2024, when he will be laid to rest in his birthplace in England, after his missing coffin was finally found.
However, no amount of fanfare could fully account for the life of the bold and brave explorer, who became one of the world's greatest maritime adventurers, and whose circumnavigation and mapping of Australia was the pinnacle of his career.
Ultimately, though, it all came at a huge personal cost that saw Flinders lose everything he loved and sent him to an early grave.
Hand coloured engraving of Captain Matthew Flinders RN.
Joyce Gold, published by the Naval Chronicle Office.
Model of HMS INVESTIGATOR based on the Matthew Flinders' notes.
© Lynne and Laurie Hadley. ANMM Collection
Flinders' job was done, and he desperately wanted to get back to his wife
Flinders was in a hurry to return to England to see Ann. At that stage, they hadn’t seen each other in three years – they'd married just three months before Flinders left England on his mission to Australia in 1801.
Flinders wanted Ann to go with him, but the Royal Navy wouldn’t allow it. They were separated for most of their married life and it took almost ten years and many love letters before Flinders and Ann could be reunited.
Contemporary sculpture series titled 'The Lost Letters of Ann Chapelle Flinders', celebrating Flinders relationship with his wife.
© Elizabeth Gertsakis. ANMM Collection
Charts of Matthew Flinders
Flinders’ urgency to return to England resulted in disaster
When Flinders tried to return home, he left behind the damaged Investigator, but there was trouble with his replacement ship, and he was forced to stop for repairs at the French colony, Mauritius.
He also had no idea then that France and England were at war. Flinders was arrested on arrival in Mauritius, accused of being a spy and spent six-and-a-half years under house arrest. Mr Kieza says things could have worked out very differently if Flinders wasn’t so “arrogant and impetuous”.
His ‘bull at a gate’ personality led him to rush home in a dilapidated vessel to see his wife in England after the circumnavigation of Australia.
If he had been more prudent, he would have waited for a more seaworthy vessel and could have avoided having to stop at Mauritius for repairs to his ship.
His greatest achievement – putting Australia on the map - was completed before he was 30.
A ‘broken man’ - Flinders lost his freedom, years of his marriage and then, his beloved cat, Trim
Matthew Flinders had circumnavigated Australia with his cat, Trim, by his side. The black and white feline was with Flinders when he was detained, and the cat was allowed to wander the island. Then one day, in 1804, Trim disappeared.
Mr Kieza says Flinders was devastated.
Trim’s death caused him [Flinders] a great deal of anxiety and the seven years he spent longing for a return to England left him very much a broken man.
Flinders' love of Trim propelled him to write a book about their relationship, which includes this excerpt:
To the memory of
Trim.
the best and most illustrious of his Race, the most affectionate of friends,
faithful of servants and best of creatures.
He made the Tour of the Globe, and a voyage to Australia, which he circumnavigated and was ever the delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers.
– A Biographical Tribute to the Memory of Trim, Matthew Flinders (c. 1803-1810)
Flinders was finally able to return to England in 1810, and he immediately started preparing charts and documentation of his circumnavigation of Australia. Two years later, he and Ann had a daughter - their only child.
The bad luck continued even after Flinders was buried
Troubled by kidney disease for 20 years, it finally claimed his life after months of pain, and he died in 1814 when he was just 40. Flinders' career choice is believed to be largely responsible for his sickness.
Flinders’ death from kidney disease was no doubt a result of the privations and dehydration he suffered during long ocean voyages
– Grantlee Kieza.
And Flinders died the day after the landmark summary of his life’s work, A Voyage to Terra Australis was published.
Flinders was laid to rest in London, England, but his grave’s location became a mystery. The headstone on Flinders’ grave disappeared in the 1840s, and his remains were lost.
It took almost two centuries to find his grave, which was unearthed during excavation of the burial ground in London January 2019. The discovery sparked a passionate campaign by his descendants and locals, to have Flinders reburied in the town he was born – Donington, England.
Matthew Flinders. ANMM Collection
The legendary seafarer’s final voyage
The campaign succeeded and the ceremony celebrating the life and accomplishments of Matthew Flinders was arranged to span three days, from the 12th of July 2024. Hundreds of guests were invited from across the world, including Australia and Mauritius. The ceremony featuring an 18-gun salute and the burial of Flinders in sacred ground.
A fitting tribute for a determined and passionate man whose accomplishments cost him his career, his loves, his passions and ultimately his life.
Visit the Matthew Flinders Bring Him Home YouTube channel, where the livestream of his reburial will be broadcast on Saturday 13th July 2024.
00001899 - Chart from A voyage to Terra Australia, volume 2. Matthew Flinders, published by G and W Nicol, 1814.
ANMM Collection
Commemorative plate featuring Matthew Flinders (1974).
Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. ANMM Collection
Charts of Matthew Flinders
Footage by Craig Bender
More from the Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum celebrates our nations's history and connection to the sea. We protect the National Maritime collection, a rich and diverse range of over 160,000 historic artefacts.
Among these objects are fascinating treasures, such as a copy of Flinders' A Voyage to Terra Australis and an array of charts based on these important surveys of Australia's coastline.
00004101 - Chart of Van Diemens Land, 1798 - 1799. Matthew Flinders, engraved by L Welsh.
ANMM Collection
