How Australia Got Its Name

A Map Of Australia Made In 1804 By Matthew Flinders

I’ll bet not too many people from Oz know this story. I certainly didn’t. I learned about it from reading the most excellent book, Napoleon’s Australia by Terry Smyth. Because I only ever research excerpts of books and articles, I almost never read a whole book, but this one is special. It details the well-developed plans France had to attack and take over Sydney in the early 1800’s. Betcha’ didn’t know that either.

Now who knows what Australia was known as in the same time period? It was either ‘Terra Australis’ or ‘New Holland’ (because the Dutch had explored it first). Not Australia; no that was the work of one single extraordinary man. Who was it and what does it have to do with “Life Cycles Theory”??

Who was the first to circumnavigate the country? Most of us locals know the answer is the famous explorer Matthew Flinders (with the exception of those who are shamefully no longer taught Australian history in many of our schools). So what is his story and what does it have to do with his ‘Significant Years’ (ie.24/31/36)?

He was born on March 16, 1774 and when he was in his age 24 “Year of Revolution”(Mar. 1798 - Mar. 1799), he was given command of his first ship Norfolk and discovered Bass Strait and its largest island, Flinders Island. This success led on to his famous 1801 circumnavigation of the country in the ship Investigator. So what was next for him? Promotion to Admiral? A senior administrative post??

No, everything went pear-shaped, because on his return voyage to London he stopped off at the French controlled Isle De France (now known as Mauritius). The French Governor Charles Decaen became suspicious of his status as being on a scientific mission and then Flinders insulted him by refusing to dine with Decaen and his wife. After this papers were discovered talking about a possible French invasion of Sydney and he was put in gaol as a suspected spy, even though he had no knowledge of such matters.

This matter was referred to the French Government and after a delay Napoleon gave orders for his release early 1806 when he was in his age 31 “Year of Broken Pathways”. So, now it was back to London and to be covered in glory? Given and knighthood or more?? Once again the answer was a deeply disappointing ‘no’.

Decaen had allowed Flinders to have freedom on the island and now he became convinced he knew too much to be let go and tell France’s sworn enemy all about it. So he continued to hold him for another 5 long years on totally irrational grounds. As a result Flinders grew very despondent and his health suffered. So now, we are perched at Flinders’ life and career-defining age 36 “Year of Revolution” (Mar. 1810 - Mar. 1811). What happened to change everything?

Welcome to June 1810 when he was finally paroled back to England. This wasn’t because Decaen had a change of heart. It was because the British navy had blockaded Isle De France and Decaen knew the game was up. The plot to invade Sydney and take over Australia was up in smoke too. By the time Flinders returned and was promoted he was but a shell of a man, looking years older than he should.

However, he had one great task to perform and that was to write and have published the account of his journey of discovery in the Investigator. This was to be his life’s work, but what also happened in 1810 in France to make it an urgent task? There was a great imposter named Francois Peron, who was trying to steal his thunder.

This guy actually was a French spy and he was placed on board the rival French scientific voyage to Australia under Baudin, that happened prior to Flinders’ voyage. Peron stayed in Sydney a considerable time and got to meet and get friendly with all the leading citizens of the colony. He was a desperately ambitious young man, who had hatched the plan to invade Sydney and when this failed he decided in 1810 to publish his own account, Voyage de découvertes aux Terres Australes. Since Captain Baudin had recently died he now sought to diminish his legacy in favour of his own.

When Flinders reads the book he is shocked to find that his discoveries have been claimed by the French. Parts of the Victorian coast are renamed Cape Nuyts and South Australia becomes Terre Napoleon, with Spencer Gulf becoming Golfe Bonaparte and Gulf St. Vincent, Golfe Josephine. This guy is positively evil, but his ambitions ultimately get him nowhere, because he dies of consumption (tuberculosis) in Dec. 1810 at the age of 35 while working on a second book, because the first never published any charts. This second work, still without charts and thus unproven, was completed by his replacement Henri de Freycinet (that’s right everyone knows of the beautiful Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania, but almost no-one knows Peron).

However, the message is clear to Flinders, he must publish his account and be credited with his discoveries. This finally happens in July, 1814 when A Voyage To Terra Australis is published along with 16 maps and 10 plates of Australian flora. This moment, however, is bittersweet because Flinders is in such poor health, that he dies the next day and never gets to see his masterpiece.

Statue Of Matthew Flinders Outside St. Paul's Catherdral, Melbourne

………...now what has this fascinating period of history got to do with the naming of Australia? After all you can see by the book’s title that this land is still known as ‘Terra Australis’. Flinders was not the first to use the name Australia but he was the first to apply it specifically to the newly chartered island continent. In 1804 he wrote to Joseph Banks describing “my general chart of Australia”.

When he got to London in 1810 he discovered Banks did not approve of the name and his book was called ‘Terra Australis’ despite his strenuous objections. He said ‘Terra Australis’ referred to what Aristotle originally thought must be the ‘great south land’ (but this was later found to be Antartica).  He wrote a note at the bottom of the page saying that, “Had I permitted myself any innovation upon the original term, it would have been to convert it into Australia; as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth.”

His book was widely read and ‘Australia’ became popular and so in 1817 Governor Lachlan Macquarie wrote to the Colonial Office that it be officially adopted. In 1824 the British Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia. So it was all Flinders' idea and he is the true father of our beautiful name.

You should finally be aware that the modest Flinders never once used his own name for any feature in all his discoveries, but that a grateful nation now uses his name with over 100 geographical features and places in Australia. In addition his name is associated with a university, schools, a medical centre, suburbs, streets, highways, statues, postage stamps, bank notes and even a tree species. We are rightly proud of this true hero of our history. THE MAN WHO GAVE AUSTRALIA ITS NAME.

PS. As I wrote this news has come of the discovery the remains of Matthew Flinders. His headstone was removed from St. James' Burial Ground and his remains believed to be lost, during the expansion of Euston Station. Archaeologists working on England's High Speed rail project have uncovered a lead breast plate worn by Captain Flinders when he was buried. His skeleton will be studied before being laid to rest a second time.