On 16th July, 1799, Matthew Flinders became the first European to enter Moreton Bay. He noted and named Red Cliff Point and landed in on this day (17th July) at Woody Point…225 years ago today.

He’s currently back in the news at the moment as his body has just recently been relocated and reinterred at his birthplace in Donington, Lincolnshire, England. He died in 1814, one day after his work A Voyage to Terra Australis had been published. The location of his body was lost in 1852 but was rediscovered in 2019.

History Redcliffe’s guest speaker next month (2nd August) will be renowned historian and author, Professor Marc Serge Rivière. He will be speaking about his latest book True friendship knows no bounds: exclusive correspondence of Matthew Flinders and Thomi Pitot (1804-1814) which explores more about the life of Matthew Flinders.

Read more about Matthew Flinders in our latest feature story. (Click here)