NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION

Liz Zelencich
Program Co-ordinator
NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION
Email your thoughts to nie@thestandard.fairfax.com.au
www.standard.net.au The Standard TUESDAY, September 16, 2014 9
George Bass (1771-1803?) explored
the east coast of Australia. Together with Flinders,
he sailed more than 18,000 kilometres exploring the
coastline of Australia and proved that Tasmania was an
island. Bass was born in England and arrived in Sydney
in 1795. In 1803, he disappeared after he sailed into the
Pacic Ocean with a cargo that he wanted to sell in South
America. Some people believe he was captured by the
Spanish and forced to work in mines in Peru.
Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) was born in Lincolnshire in England. Flinders
joined the navy where he trained as a navigator. Flinders wanted to become a sailor and explorer
after reading the book Robinson Crusoe. He met George Bass, a ship's doctor, when they were both
sailing to Australia on the Reliance. They became very good friends and were to go on many journeys
of exploration together. Flinders was to rst man to circumnavigate Australia. It was Flinders who
suggested the name "Australia" and it was adopted in 1824. Several places have been named after
him, such as Flinders Island.
Explorers of Australia
Upon their return, Bass and Flinders set off again in the Tom Thumb to
explore the land south of Sydney. Unfortunately, a huge storm drove them
further down the coast than they had intended and a huge surf drove the
small boat ashore.
They had heard stories that the aborigines in the area were hostile and
so they decided not to light a re. This meant they spent the night cold,
miserable and hungry. They saw some small islands and as the sea was
now calm, decided to try and reach them. However, there was no suitable
place to land and they spent another uncomfortable night in the small boat.
The next morning they saw two aboriginals who surprised them by speaking
in English. They led them to a creek, which they said was teeming with
ducks and sh. However, they were then joined by some more aboriginals
who were not so friendly.
Bass and Flinders needed time to dry out their clothes and powder. So they
worked out a plan to distract the aboriginals. Bass kept the natives amused
repairing a paddle, while Flinders gave them a hair cut and trimmed their
beards. Very relieved, they put out to sea and a huge storm drove them
forward. After eight days, they reached Sydney, but were not particularly
pleased with this expedition.
The following year, Bass set off again in a whale boat and a crew of eight
with supplies for six weeks. The party left on December 3, 1797 to explore
the coast south of Sydney.
Before travelling further south, they explored the Shoalhaven River, Jervis
Bay and Twofold Bay. Rounding the southern-most point of the mainland,
Bass reached Western Port Bay. He was forced to stay here for two weeks
because of bad weather.
On an island, Bass found seven escaped convicts who had escaped from
Sydney some time before. Bass took them back to the mainland, giving
them a musket, powder and shing lines. The convicts intended to travel
back to the settlement and give themselves up. However, they never reached
it. They either died of starvation or were killed by aboriginals.
Bass returned on February 24, 1798. He had been away 11 weeks and
had explored 1000 kilometres of coastline, half of which had never been
explored before.
Because of voyages they had made separately, both Bass and Flinders
were sure a body of water separated Van Diemen's Land (now called
Tasmania) and the Australian mainland. In 1798 they sailed along the
northern coast of Van Diemens Land. They rowed up the Tamar River to
near where Launceston is today and later climbed to the top of Mount
Wellington, which overlooks Hobart. They proved that there was water
between Australia and Van Diemens Land and it was named Bass Strait
by Governor Hunter.
Flinders had been doing some exploring on his own and believed that he
could prove that Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) was an island. Bass and
Flinders convinced Governor Hunter another expedition should be set up
with a bigger boat and more men. In 1798, Bass and Flinders sailed the
Norfolk through Bass Strait and round Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania),
proving that it was an island. This was to be their last voyage together as
Bass disappeared mysteriously in the Pacic Ocean.
In 1799 Bass resigned from the Royal Navy and sailed trading ships
between the islands of the South Pacic. In 1803 he left Sydney headed
for Chile in South America, but the ship disappeared and George Bass
was never seen again.
Matthew Flinders returned to England in 1800 and published a book about
his and Bass' explorations. Then in 1801 Flinders was put in charge of an
expedition to sail around and map the still unknown parts of the Australian
coastline. He eventually circumnavigated (sailed all the way around) the
Australian coast taking almost three years to do it because of the poor
condition of the ship which needed regular repairs to stop it leaking. After
returning to Sydney in 1803, Flinders sailed for England as a passenger
on a ship called the Porpoise, but the ship was wrecked on a coral reef
off the Queensland coast. Flinders took control of the ship's lifeboat and
sailed to Sydney to get help for the shipwrecked passengers.
As its captain, Flinders sailed a small schooner, the Cumberland, towards
England. When the Cumberland started leaking, Flinders sailed to the island
of Mauritius, a French colony. The French, who were at war with England,
arrested Flinders as a spy and kept him in jail on the island for six years.
In 1810 Flinders arrived back in England. He was not in good health and
only lived for another four years. He died in 1814, aged 40.
was an
Sydney
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ell in South
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Some interesting links to explore:
http://www.abc.net.au/navigators/captains/indigenous/map.htm
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/inders-matthew-2050
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bass-george-1748
NIE featured activities:
a) Bass and Flinders were adventurous, courageous
explorers. Look through the newspaper to see if you
can nd a story of someone displaying similar qualities.
b) If you were Matthew Flinders, what is one
decision you would like to have changed during the
circumnavigation of Terra Australis explain. Present
this as a comic strip.
c) What ve questions about the inhabitants do you
think Flinders wanted to have answers to? Rank them
from most to least important. Compare your rankings
with someone else and explain your reasoning.
Draw a picture to show how Flinders and his crew
camped overnight when they went ashore. Compare
their overnight accommodation to the homes
constructed by one group of indigenous people.
d) Prepare a two-minute talk from the
perspective of one indigenous Australian
when Flinders and his crew were
sighted in his/her region.
e) What challenges faced Bass,
Flinders and their crews during their
voyages? Write a newspaper article about
one of those challenges.
f) International Literacy Day is celebrated in September.
This day is a time to celebrate the good things people
get from reading. The newspaper can be a great
source of inspiration for creative writing. Search
todays paper to nd each of the following items for
a short story of your own:
1. A person with an interesting name.
2. A mystery that could serve as a plot.
3. An unusual place that could be the setting for
a story.
4. A colourful statement made by a newsmaker that
could be used to start a story.
5. A hero or a villain for a story.
Finish by writing the opening paragraphs of a story,
using what you found in the newspaper. Give your
story a title that will grab peoples attention.
(1774-1814) was born in L
navigator. Flinders want
Although
Flinders never once used his own name for any feature in all
his discoveries, his name is now
associated with over 100 geographical features
and places in Australia in addition to Flinders Island
in Bass Strait. Flinders is seen as being particularly
important in South Australia, where he is considered the main explorer
of the state. Landmarks named after him in South Australia include
the Flinders Ranges and Flinders Ranges National Park, Flinders Chase
National Park on Kangaroo Island, Flinders University, Flinders Medical
Centre, the suburb Flinders Park and Flinders Street in Adelaide. In Victoria,
places include Flinders Street in Melbourne, the suburb of Flinders, the
federal electorate of Flinders, and the Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary
College in Geelong.
Flinders Bay in Western Australia and Flinders Way in Canberra also
commemorate him. Educational institutions named after him
include Flinders Park Primary School in South Australia, and
Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast in
Queensland. A former electoral district of the Queensland
Parliament was named Flinders. There are also
Flinders Highways in both Queensland and
South Australia.