The fever of discovery burned brightly in the 18th century, and Matthew Flinders was a talented sailor from a modest background in Lincolnshire who made a huge contribution to scientific exploration, following in the wake of Captain Cook, and making far better surveys. He was the first man to circumnavigate Australia, and indeed gave the place its name.
Having first served under Captain Bligh, of Bounty fame, in 1801 Flinders was, at the age of 27, given command of Investigator. Such ships had to be small, to get as near as possible to coasts, and they often contained rotten timbers, since all the best ships were desperately needed by the Royal Navy to ward off Napoleon. The risks taken in these ships were enormous, and how they sailed round the world remains a mystery, especially as they often operated in dangerous, uncharted waters, such as those off the Great Barrier Reef.
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