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Home » Themes » Culture » Indigenous
Act of KindnessPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates an act of kindness by local Aboriginal people to explorer Matthew Flinders in 1803. The paque was unveiled on the 200th anniversary of the event.
Flinders was charting the Queensland coast in two vessels when they ran aground on Wreck Reef, off North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay, in August 1803. The captain and some crew members set off for Sydney Cove to secure help for the remainder of the crew. It was while at shore in search of fresh water, local Aboriginal people helped them locate a spring to fill their barrels.
Location
| Address: | Hopewell Street, Cylinder Beach Headland, Point Lookout, 4183 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -27.424431 Long: 153.535015 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Culture |
| Sub-Theme: | Indigenous |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 30-August-1803 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 30-August-1803 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 31st August, 2003 |
|---|
30 AUGUST
1803 - 2003
200th ANNIVERSARY
OF MATTHEW FLINDERS,
"WANTING WATER",
SAVED BY THE ABORIGINAL
PEOPLE OF STRADBROKE ISLAND.
Wanting water Matthew Flinders in the cutter "Hope" anchored in the vicinity of Point Lookout on his emergency return to Sydney from Wreck Reef. Aborigines on the side of a hill near the shore danced and pointed the sailors in the direction of fresh running water.
Their water cask refilled, Flinders and the crew of the "Hope" successfully continued on to Sydney to get help for their fellow sailors shipwrecked on Wreck Reef.
This plaque was set up on the 200th anniversary of this event to acknowledge, in the spirit of reconciliation, this positive encounter between the Stradbroke Island Aboriginal people and the newcomers.
