The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N./Appendix C

by Ernest Scott

Appendix C.

NAMES GIVEN BY FLINDERS TO IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN COASTAL FEATURES.

Among the Flinders Papers is a list of names given by Flinders to points on the Australian coast, with his reasons for doing so. The list is incomplete, but has served as the basis of the following catalogue, for help in the enlargement of which I am greatly indebted to Mr. Walter Jeffery:—

TOM THUMB VOYAGE, WITH BASS—

Hat Hill, named by Flinders from Cook's suggestion that it "looked like the crown of a hat."

Red Point.

Martin's Isles, after the boy who accompanied them.

Providential Cove (native name, Wattamowlee).

VOYAGE OF THE FRANCIS—

Green Cape.

Cape Barren Island.

Clarke Island, Hamilton's Rocks, after members of the crew of the Sydney Cove.

Kent's Group, after the Captain of the Supply.

Armstrong's Channel, after the Master of the Supply.

Preservation Island.

VOYAGE OF THE NORFOLK—

Chappell Islands, after Miss Ann Chappell.

Settlement Island, Babel Islands (from the noises made by the sea-birds), and other names in the Furneaux Group. Double Sandy Point.

Low Head.

Table Cape.

Circular Head.

Hunter Islands, after Governor Hunter.

Three-Hummock Island.

Barren Island.

Cape Grim.

Trefoil Island.

Albatross Island.

Mount Heemskirk and Mount Zeehan, after Tasman's ships.

Point Hibbs, after the Master of the Norfolk.

Rocky Point.

Mount de Witt.

Point St. Vincent, after the First Lord of the Admiralty.

Norfolk Bay and Mount.

Cape Pillar.

After the voyage was over, Hunter, apparently at Flinders' suggestion, named Cape Portland, Bass Strait, Port Dalrymple and Waterhouse Island.

VOYAGE OF THE NORFOLK TO QUEENSLAND—

Shoal Bay.

Sugarloaf Point.

Pumice-stone River.

Point Skirmish.

Moreton Island.

Curlew Inlet.

VOYAGE OF THE INVESTIGATOR (Western Australia)—

Cape Leeuwin, "the most projecting part of Leeuwin's Land."

Mount Manypeak.

Haul-off Rock.

Cape Knob.

Mount Barren.

Lucky Bay, discovered when the ship was in an awkward position.

Goose Island.

Twin Peaks Islands.

Cape Pasley, after Admiral Pasley.

Point Malcolm, after Captain Pulteney Malcolm.

Point Culver.

Point Dover.

VOYAGE OF THE INVESTIGATOR (South Australia):

Nuyts' Reefs and Cape.

Fowler's Bay and Point, after the First Lieutenant of the Investigator.

Point Sinclair, after a midshipman on the Investigator.

Point Bell, after the surgeon of the Investigator.

Purdie's Islands, after the Assistant-surgeon of the Investigator.

St. Francis Islands, adapted from the name given by Nuyts.

Lound's Island, Lacy's Island, Evans' Island, Franklin's Island (in Nuyts' Archipelago), after midshipmen on the Investigator.

Petrel Bay.

Denial Bay, "as well in allusion to St. Peter as to the deceptive hope we had found of penetrating by it some distance into the interior country."

Smoky Bay, from the number of smoke columns rising from the shore.

Point Brown, after the Botanist of the Investigator.

Streaky Bay, "much seaweed floating about." Cape Bauer, after the Botanical Draftsman of the Investigator.

Point Westall, after the painter.

Olive Island, after the ship's clerk.

Cape Radstock, after Admiral Lord Radstock.

Waldegrave Isles.

Topgallant Isles.

Anxious Bay, "from the night we passed in it."

Investigator Group.

Pearson's Island, after Flinders' brother-in-law.

Ward's Island, after his mother's maiden name.

Flinders' Island, after Lieutenant S. W. Flinders.

Cape (now Point) Drummond, after Captain Adam Drummond, R.N.

Point Sir Isaac, Coffin's Bay, after Vice-Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin.

Mount Greenly, Greenly Isles, after the lady to whom Sir Isaac Coffin was engaged.

Point Whidbey, Whidbey's Islands, after "My worthy friend the Master-attendant at Sheerness."

Avoid Bay and Point, "from its being exposed to the dangerous southern winds."

Liguanea Island, after an estate in Jamaica.

Cape Wiles, after the Botanist on the Providence.

Williams' Isle.

Sleaford Bay, from Sleaford in Lincolnshire.

Thistle Island, after the Master of the Investigator.

Neptune Isles, "for they seemed inaccessible to men."

Thorny Passage, from the dangerous rocks.

Cape Catastrophe, where the accident occurred.

Taylor's Island, after a midshipman drowned in the accident.

Wedge Island, "from its shape."

Gambier Isles, after Admiral Lord Gambier.

Memory Cove, in memory of the accident. Cape Donington, after Flinders' birthplace.

Port Lincoln, after the chief town in Flinders' native county.

Boston Island, Bay and Point, Bicker Island, Surfleet Point, Stamford Hill, Spalding Cove, Grantham Island, Kirton Point, Point Bolingbroke, Louth Bay and Isle, Sleaford Mere, Lusby Isle, Langton Isle, Kirkby Isle, Winceby Isle, Sibsey Isle, Tumby Isle, Stickney Isle, Hareby Isle. All Lincolnshire names, after places familiar to Flinders.

Dalby Isle, after the Rev. M. Tyler's parish.

Marum Isle, after the residence of Mr. Stephenson, Sir Joseph Banks' agent.

Spilsby Island, after the town where the Franklins lived.

Partney Isles, after the place where Miss Chappell lived, and where Flinders was married.

Revesby Isle, after Revesby Abbey, Banks' Lincolnshire seat.

Northside Hill.

Elbow Hill, from its shape.

Barn Hill, from the form of its top.

Mount Young, after Admiral Young.

Point Lowly.

Mount Brown, after the botanist.

Mount Arden, Flinders' great-grandmother's name.

Point Riley, after an Admiralty official.

Point Pearce, after an Admiralty official.

Corny Point, "a remarkable point."

Hardwicke Bay, after Lord Hardwicke.

Spencer's Gulf and Cape, after Earl Spencer.

Althorp Isles, after Lord Spencer's eldest son.

Kangaroo Island and Head.

Point Marsden, after the Second Secretary to the Admiralty. Nepean Bay, after Sir Evan Nepean, Secretary to the Admiralty.

Mount Lofty, from its height.

St. Vincent's Gulf, after Admiral Lord St. Vincent.

Cape Jervis, Lord St. Vincent's family name.

Troubridge Hill, after Admiral Troubridge.

Investigator Strait.

Yorke's Peninsula, after the Honourable C.P. Yorke.

Prospect Hill.

Pelican Lagoon.

Backstairs Passage.

Antechamber Bay.

Cape Willoughby.

Pages Islets.

Encounter Bay.

VOYAGE OF THE INVESTIGATOR (Victoria)—

Point Franklin.

Indented Head (Port Phillip).

Station Peak (Port Phillip).

VOYAGE OF THE INVESTIGATOR (Queensland)—

Tacking Point.

Mount Larcom, after Captain Larcom, R.N. Gatcombe Head.

Port Curtis, after Admiral Sir Roger Curtis.

Facing Island, the eastern boundary of Port Curtis, facing the sea.

Port Bowen, after Captain James Bowen, R.N., Naval Commandant at Madeira when the Investigator put in there.

Cape Clinton, after Colonel Clinton of the 85th Regiment, Commandant at Madeira.

Entrance Island.

Westwater Head.

Eastwater Hill.

Mount Westall, after William Westall the artist. Townshend Island—Cook had so named the Cape which is its prominent feature.

Leicester Island.

Aken's Island, after the Master of the Investigator.

Strongtide Passage.

Double Mount.

Mount Funnel, from its form.

Upper Head.

Percy Isles, after the Northumberland family.

Eastern Fields, coral banks near Torres Strait.

Pandora's Entrance, after the Pandora.

Half-way Island, convenient anchorage for ships going through Torres Strait.

Good Island, after Peter Good, the botanist.

VOYAGE OF THE INVESTIGATOR (in the Gulf of Carpentaria)—

Duyfken Point, after the first vessel which entered the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Pera Head, after the second vessel that sailed along this coast in 1623.

Sweers Island, after a member of the Batavia Council in Tasman's time.

Inspection Hill.

Lord William Bentinck's Island (now Bentinck Island), after the Governor of Madras.

Allen's Island, after the "Miner"—i.e., Geologist—of the Investigator.

Horseshoe Island.

Investigator Road.

Pisonia Isle, from the soft white wood of the Pisonia tree found upon it.

Bountiful Island.

Wellesley Island, Mornington Isle—After the Marquess Wellesley, Governor-General of India, whose earlier title was Lord Mornington.

VOYAGE OF THE INVESTIGATOR (Northern Territory)—

Vanderlin Island, the Dutch "Cape Vanderlin."

Sir Edward Pellew Group, Cape Pellew, after Admiral Pellew.

Craggy Isles.

West Island.

North Island.

Centre Island.

Observation Island.

Cabbage-Tree Cove.

Maria Island, the Dutch "Cape Maria." Bickerton Island, after Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton.

Cape Barrow, after Sir John Barrow.

Connexion Island.

North Point Island.

Chasm Island, "the upper parts are intersected by many deep chasms."

North-West Bay.

Winchelsea Island, after the Earl of Winchelsea.

Finch's Island, after the Winchelsea family name.

Pandanus Hill, from the clump of trees upon it.

Burney Island, after Captain James Burney, R.N.

Nicol Island, after "His Majesty's bookseller."

Woodah Island, "it having some resemblance to the whaddie, or woodah, a wooden sword used by the natives of Port Jackson."

Bustard Isles—They "harboured several bustards."

Mount Grindall, Point Grindall, after Vice-Admiral Grindall.

Morgan's Isle, after a seaman who died there.

Bluemud Bay, "in most parts of the bay is a blue mud of so fine a quality that I judge it might be useful in the manufacture of earthenware."

Point Blane, after Sir Gilbert Blane of the Naval Medical Board. Cape Shield, after Commissioner Shield. Cape Grey, after General Grey, Commandant at Capetown.

Point Middle.

Mount Alexander.

Point Alexander.

Round Hill Island.

Caledon Bay, after the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.

Cape Arnhem, extremity of Arnhem's Land.

Mount Saunders.

Mount Dundas, Melville Isles—After Dundas, Viscount Melville, a colleague of the younger Pitt.

Mount Bonner.

Drimmie Head.

Cape Wilberforce, after W. Wilberforce, M.P., the slave-emancipator, who was a friend of Flinders.

Melville Bay, after Viscount Melville.

Harbour Rock.

Point Dundas.

Bromby Islands, after the Reverend F. Bromby, of Hull, a cousin of Mrs. Flinders.

Malay Road.

Pombasso's Island, after the chief of the Malay praus.

Cotton's Island, after Captain Cotton of the East India Company's Directorate.

English Company Islands, after the East India Company.

Wigram Island.

Truant Island, "from its lying away from the rest."

Inglis Island.

Bosanquet Island.

Astell Island.

Mallison Island.

Point Arrowsmith, after the map-publisher. Cape Newbald, Newbald Island—After Henrietta Newbald, née Flinders, who introduced him to Pasley.

Arnhem Bay.

Wessell Islands, name found on a Dutch chart.

Point Dale.

Wreck Reef.