Matthew Flinders

USC22_0003
When the eastern edge of the spit was charted by Lieutenants Bedwell, Brad, and Connor, in 1869, they found on Cook's track the same soundings as those taken by Cook in 1770, and Flinders in 1802, not more than 7 to 12 and 13 fathoms close to the spit itself.

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The first navigator and white man to land on Fraser Island was probably Mathew Flinders, who ran a ship's boat ashore near Sandy Cape, on the 31st of July, 1802, and had a friendly interview with a party of aboriginals, whom he described as "fine men," and to whom he made a present of a porpoise one of this men had harpooned.

USC22_0004
There is no proof that there were not other white men on that coast before Flinders, from some vessel taking that route from Sydney homeward, or to Batavia or India, in the years from 1788 to 1802; but Flinders is the first known record.

USC60_0001
Most places of interest which are not really well known suffer more or less from false reputations of various kinds and Fraser Island is no exception to this. Its lakes are not bottomless, they do not react to the tides, they do not teem with fish. "Yankee Jack" was not killed near the creek beside which he camped, the island is not entirely of pure sand, it is not one vast forest of gigantic trees, nor was it named an island by Cook or Flinders.
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Apart for my own experiences, which include a two-month stay on the island eight months ago, I am indebted to many source for data for these notes, including Captain Cook's and Matthew Flinder's journals. "Tom Petrie's Reminiscenes" by Constance Petrie (1904), "Genesis of Queensland" by John Stuart Russell (1888), the Oxley Library and that at Newstead House, Dr. J. H. Bendich, Foresters Allom, Markwell and Whale and others, including that grand old nona genarian pioneer, the late Captain Ned Armitage of Maryborough and his son, Norman.
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Cook's notes on the great sandhills he passed north of Double Island Point are more accurate than those of Flinders, but the latter sometimes reveal. On the other hand Flinders missed many important rivers along the coast, probably because he was pressed for time.

Further out to sea than Flinders, Cook did not discern Wide Bay Bar and his map shows a very long promontory at Sandy Cape, which he named for its two sandhills.

USC142_0002
BROWN, ROBERT Botanist
Q980.1
F
General remarks, geographical and
systematical, on the botany of Terra
Australis; [with bibl. notes.] Ill.
(Flinders, Matthew. - Voyage to Terra
Australia, vol.2,pp.533-613, and atlas.
1814.)
ANOTHER COPY
[Extracted.]
Q581.9901
B

USC281_0004
Flinders was the next recorded white man to visit Fraser Island. In 1799 he sailed the "Norfolk" into Hervey Bay and named some of the western features including Triangle Cliffs, the coloured sands of Arch Cliffs and White Cliffs. In 1802 he returned along the eastern coast in the "Investigator". Flinders too commented on the fragility of Fraser Island's exposed coast and sandhills. He said, "our course at night was directed by the fires on the shore". Flinders proceeded, landed three parties at Sandy Cape near where Sandy Cape lighthouse stands. One party collected firewood, another party of six naturalists under botanist Brown studied the flora whilst Flinders befriended the aboriginals whom he considered extremely numerous and of good physique.

Although Flinders suspected Fraser Island to be an island he marked it on his maps as "The Great Sandy Peninsula".

USC617_0004 
[map notation]
1802 Explorer Matthew Flinders became first white man to set foot on the island