Flinders

By Grantlee Kieza

Published by ABC Books; Dist. by Harper Collins

RRP $45 in hardcover | ISBN 9780733341557

Impetuous, arrogant, headstrong, Matthew Flinders nevertheless became one of the great figures in the history of Australia, literally putting the name to the Great South Land he was the first to map.

But his achievements might easily have been lost in. He spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war on French-controlled Mauritius.

It was not until 1810 he was able to complete his final voyage back to England with the charts and maps that would tell the story of his achievements and enable him to reunite with his long-suffering wife, Ann.

Four years later, at the age of just 40, he would be dead of kidney disease, a premature and tragic end to one of the world’s greatest maritime adventurers.

Grantlee Kieza does an excellent job of reconstructing Flinders’ life.

Inspired by the story of Robinson Crusoe and the adventures of Captain Cook, Flinders took to the sea at age 16, swiftly climbing the ranks to fight in a decisive naval battle of the French Revolutionary wars.

After sailing to Tahiti with William Bligh, Flinders was drawn to adventure, and by 1801 he was in command of an expedition to uncover the true nature of the great continent of the southern ocean.

In an intriguing postscript to the Flinders story, his grave, long thought lost, was uncovered in 2019 during excavations for the HS2 rail project in England’s north-west. His remains are due to be interred at St Mary and the Holy Rood church, Donnington, the church where he was baptised, on 13 July 2024.

VERDICT: Grantlee Kieza has won wide praise for his earlier biographies, including Banks, Banjo, Hudson Fysh and Monash. He is in top form again with his deep dive into the life of Matthew Flinders, an important figure in the history of Australia.

VIDEO: Check out this short interview published by The Australian newspaper at this link.