Matthew Flinders Print Page 
The plaque commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Matthew Flinders (1774-1814).
Matthew Flinders, navigator, hydrographer and scientist, was born on 16 March 1774 at Donington, Lincolnshire, England, the son of Matthew Flinders, a surgeon, and his wife Sussannah, née Ward. He was educated at Donington Grammar School and by the vicar of Horbling; then, having developed a longing to go to sea, partly through reading Robinson Crusoe, and determined to embark upon a life of exploration, he entered the navy in 1789.
Matthew Flinders, was amongst the most accomplished navigators and chart-makers of any age. In 1798 he sailed south from Sydney in the sloop Norfolk, passed through Bass Strait and circumnavigated Van Diemens Land (Tasmania), thus proving it to be an island. From 1801 to 1803 he circumnavigated mainland Australia in HMS Investigator.
Location
| Address: | Macquarie Street, Northern Forecourt Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney, 2000 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.856138 Long: 151.215003 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 16th March, 1974 |
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Captain Matthew Flinders R.N.
1774 - 1814
This plaque commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Captain Matthew Flinders R.N. at Donington, England, on 16th March, 1774.
Captain Matthew Flinders was the first person to circumnavigate this continent and was largely responsible for the use of the name " Australia."
He determined the geographical position of this point in 1795 and again in 1802 and used it as the initial point in his surveys of Port Jackson and the coastline of Australia.
Placed by the Institution of Surveyors, Australia, NSW Division.
Unveiled on the 16th March 1974, by the Honourable Sir Robert Askin, K.C.M.G., M.L.A., Premier & Treasurer Of New South Wales.
K. J .Blume, F.I.S., Aust., L. N. Fletcher, F.I.S., Aust.,
President. Surveyor General.
