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After reading the novel Robinson Crusoe (by Daniel Defoe), Flinders wanted to become a sailor and explore the world. (Robinson Crusoe is the story of a sailor and his adventures.) Flinders entered the Royal Navy in 1789.

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Matthew came from Donington, England and went to Australia, after bumping into Fowler Bay, South Australia.

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Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) proved that Tasmania was an island and produced its first map. He traced the coasts of the Australian continent, proving that the east, New South Wales, was the same land mass as the west, New Holland. He produced the first complete map of Australia.

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In 1795 Flinders sailed to Sydney from where he made two short expeditions with the naval surgeon George Bass. The men, both in their early twenties, explored Botany Bay and the Georges River, and later Lake Illawarra.

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What was the impact of Matthew Flinders journey?

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What was the impact of Matthew Flinders journey?

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Leader of the first circumnavigation of Australia, Matthew Flinders mapped an entire continent and gave it its name. His passion for the sea lead him to a life dedicated to discovery. His journals, maps, atlas and countless drawings were essential documents that contributed to the development of Australia.

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After sailing with the famous Captain Bligh on the Providence, Flinders' adventures brought him to Australia onboard the Reliance. In 1796 he explored the coastline around Sydney in a tiny open boat called Tom Thumb. He next proved that Tasmania was an island by finding and sailing through Bass Strait.

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Matthew Flinders literally put Australia on the map, but he didn't do it alone — he was helped by a cat called Trim. Trim was born in 1799 on board HMS Reliance on Flinders' voyage from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany Bay.

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Trim was a ship's cat who accompanied Matthew Flinders on his voyages to circumnavigate and map the coastline of Australia in 1801–1803.

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Matthew Flinders, (born March 16, 1774, Donington, Lincolnshire, England—died July 19, 1814, London), English navigator who charted much of the Australian coast.