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This first extract is taken from Sir Ernest Scott’s The Life of Matthew Flinders, R.N., Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1914. It gives a good background to the story:
“The Reliance arrived at Port Jackson on September 7th [1795], and in the following month Flinders, with a companion of whom it is time to speak, commenced the series of explorations which made his fame.
“This companion was George Bass, a Lincolnshire man like Flinders himself, born at Aswarby near Sleaford. He was a farmer’s son, but his father died when he was quite a child, and his mother moved to Boston [Lincolnshire]. She managed out of her widow’s resources to give her son an excellent education, and designed that he should enter the medical profession. In due course he was apprenticed to a surgeon, Mr. Francis - a common mode of securing training in medicine at that period. He ‘walked’ the Boston hospital for a finishing course of instruction, and won his surgeon’s diploma with marked credit.
“Bass had from his early years shown a desire to go to sea. His mother was able to buy for him a share in a merchant ship; but this was wrecked, whereupon, not cured of his love of the ocean, he entered the navy as a surgeon. It was in that capacity that he sailed in the Reliance. He was then, in 1795, thirty-two years of age.
“All the records of Bass, both the personal observations of those who came in contact with him, and the tale of his own deeds, leave the impression that he was a very remarkable man. He was six feet in height, dark-complexioned, handsome in countenance, keen in expression, vigorous, strong, and enterprising. His father-in-law spoke of his ‘very penetrating countenance.’ Flinders called him ‘the penetrating Bass.’ Governor Hunter, in official despatches, said he was ‘a young man of a well-informed mind and an active disposition,’ and one who was ‘of much ability in various ways out of the line of his profession.’ He was gifted with a mind capable of intense application to any task that he took in hand. Upon his firm courage, resourcefulness and strength of purpose, difficulties and dangers acted merely as a whetstone to the finely tempered blade. He undertook hazardous enterprises from the sheer love of doing hard things which were worth doing. ‘He was one,’ wrote Flinders, ‘whose ardour for discovery was not to be repressed by any obstacle nor deterred by danger.’ He seemed to care nothing for rewards, and was not hungry for honours. The pleasure of doing was to him its own recompense. That ‘penetrating countenance’ indexed a brain as direct as a drill, and as inflexzible. A loyal and affectionate comrade, preferring to enter upon a task with his chosen mate, he nevertheless could not wait inactive if official duties prevented co-operation, but would set out alone on any piece of work on which he had set his heart. The portrait of Bass which we possess conveys an impression of alert and vigorous intelligence, of genial temper and hearty relish. It is the picture of a man who is abundantly alive in every nerve.
“Flinders and Bass, being both Lincolnshire men, born within a few miles of each other, naturally became very friendly on the long voyage to Australia. It was said of two other friends, who achieved great distinction in the sphere of art, that when they first met in early manhood they ‘ran together like two drops of mercury,’ so completely coincident were their inclinations. So it was in this instance. Two men more predisposed to formulate plans for exploration could not have been thrown together. A passion for maritime discovery was common to both of them. Flinders, from his study of charts and books of voyages, has a sound knowledge of the field work that lay open, and Bass’s keen mind eagerly grasped the plans explained to him. It would not have taken the surgeon and the midshipman long to find that their ambitions were completely in tune on this inviting subject. ‘With this friend,’ Flinders wrote, ‘a determination was found of completing the examination of the east coast of New South Wales by all such opportunities as the duty of the ship and procurable means could admit. Projects of this nature, when originating in the minds of young men, are usually termed romantic; and so far from any good being anticipated, even prudence and friendship join in discouraging, if not opposing them. Thus it was in the present case.’ The significance of that passage is that the two friends made for themselves the opportunities by which they won fame and rendered service. They did not wait on Fortune; they forced her hand. They showed by what they did on their own initiative, with very limited resources, that they were the right men to be entrusted with work of larger scope.”
“No sooner had the two friends reached Sydney, than they began to look about them for means to undertake the exploratory work upon which their minds were bent. Bass had brought out with him from England a small boat, only eight feet long, with a five foot beam, named by him the Tom Thumb on account of her size. * [Footnote - * Flinders’ Papers ‘Brief Memoir’ manuscripts page 5. Some have supposed the measurements given in Flinders’ published work to have been a misprint, the size of the boat being so absurdly small. But Flinders’ Journal is quite clear on this point: ‘We turned our eyes towards a little boat of about 8 feet lkeel and 5 feet beam which had been brought out by Mr. Bass and others in the Reliance, and from its size had obtained the name of Tom Thumb.’] In this diminutive craft the two friends made preparations for setting out along the Coast. Taking with them only one boy, named Martin, with provisions and ammunition for a very short trip, they sailed the Tom Thumb out of Port Jackson and made southward to Botany Bay, which they entered. They pushed up George’s River, which had been only partly explored, and pursued their investigation of its winding course for twenty miles beyond the former limit of survey. Upon their return they presented Hunter a report concerning the quality of the land seen on the borders of the river, together with a sketch map. The Governor was induced from what they had told him to examine the country himself; and the result was that he founded the settlement of Bankstown, which still remains, and boasts the distinction of being one of the pioneer towns of Australia.”
“It has always been believed that the boat in which this second cruise [to the Illawarra] was made, was the same Tom Thumb as that which carried the two young explorers to George’s River; indeed, Flinders himself, in his Voyage to Terra Australis, Volume I, page 97 [see below], says that ‘Mr. Bass and myself went again in Tom Thumb.’ But in his unpublished Journal there is a passage that suggests a doubt as to whether, when he wrote his book, over a decade later, he had not forgotten that a second boat was obtained for the second adventure. He may not have considered the circumstance important enough to mention. At all events in the Journal he writes: ‘As Tom Thumb had peformed so well before, the same boat’s crew had little hesitation in embarking in another boat of nearly the same size, which had since been built at Port Jackson.’ There was, it is evident, a second boat, no larger than the first, or that fact would have been mentioned, and she was also known as the Tom Thumb. She was Tom Thumb the Second. Only by that assumption can we reconcile the Voyage statement with the Journal, which, having been written up at the time, is an aiuthoritative source of the information.”
We now turn to Matthew Flinders’ description from his A Voyage to Terra Australis [etc.], Vol. I, G. and W. Nicols, London, 1814; Section IV, part II:
“In Mr. George Bass, surgeon of the Reliance, I had the happiness to find a man whose ardour for discovery was not to be repressed by any obstacles, nor deterred by danger; and with this friend a determination was formed of completing the examination of the east coast of New South Wales, by all such opportunities as the duty of the ship and procurable means could admit.”
“”A voyage to Norfolk Island interrupted our further proceedings, until March 1796. Mr. Bass and myself then went again in the Tom Thumb, to explore a large river, said to fall into the sea some miles to the south of Botany Bay, and of which there was no indication in Cook’s chart.
“We sailed out of Port Jackson early in the morning of March 25, and stood a little off to sea to be ready for the sea breeze. On coming in with the land in the evening, instead of being near Cape Solander, we found ourselves under the cliffs near Hat Hill [Mount Kembla], six or seven leagues to the southward, whither the boat had been drifted by a strong current. Not being able to land, and the sea breeze coming in early next morning from the northward, we steered for two small islets part of the Five Islands group], six or seven miles further on, in order to get shelter; but being in want of water, and seeing a place on the way where, though the boat could not land, a cask might be obtained by swimming, the attempt was made, and Mr. Bass went on shore. Whilst getting off the cask, a surf arose further out than usual, carried the boat before it to the beach, and left us there with our arms, ammunition, clothes and provisions thoroughly drenched and partly spoiled. The boat was emptied and launched again immediately; but it was late in the afternoon before every thing was rafted off, and we proceeded to the islets. It was not possible to land there; and we went on to two larger isles lying near a projecting point off the main, which has four hillocks upon it presenting the form of a double saddle, and proved to be captain Cook’s Red Point. The isles were inaccessible as the others and it being dark, we were constrained to pass a second night in Tom Thumb, and dropped our stone anchor in 7 fathoms, under the lee of the point.
“The sea breeze, on the 27th, still opposed our return; and learning from two Indians that no water could be procured at Red Point, we accepted their offer of piloting us to a river which, they said, lay a few miles further southward, and where not only fresh water was abundant, but also fish and wild ducks. These men were natives of Botany Bay, whence it was that we understood a little of their language, whilst that of some of the others was altogether unintelligible. Their river proved to be nothing more than a small stream, which descended from a lagoon [Lake Illawarra, Map of Lake] under Hat Hill [Mount Kembla], and forced a passage for itself through the beach; so that we entered it with difficulty even in Tom Thumb. Our two conductors then quitted the boat to walk along the sandy shore abreast, with eight or ten strange natives in company.
“After rowing a mile up the stream, and finding it to become more shallow, we began to entertain doubts of securing a retreat from these people, should they be hostilely inclined; and they had the reputation at Port Jackson of being exceedingly ferocious, if not cannibals. Our muskets were not yet freed from rust and sand, and there was a pressing necessity to procure fresh water before attempting to return northward. Under these embarrassments, we agreed upon a plan of action, and went on shore directly to the natives. Mr. Bass employed some of them to assist in repairing an oar which had been broken in our disaster, whilst I spread the wet powder out in the sun. This met with no opposition, for they knew not what the powder was; but when we proceeded to clean the muskets, it excited so much alarm that it was necessary to desist. On inquiring of the two friendly natives for water, they pointed upwards to the lagoon; but after many evasions our barica * [Footnote - * a small cask, containing six or eight gallons.] was filled at a hole not many yards distant.
“The number of people had increased to twenty, and others were still coming, so that it was necessary to use all possible expedition in getting out of their reach. But a new employment arose upon our hands: we had clipped the hair and beards of the two Botany Bay natives at Red Point; and they were showing themselves to the others, and persuading them to follow their example. Whilst, therefore, the powder was drying, I began with a large pair of scissors to execute my new office upon the eldest of four or five chins presented to me; and a great nicety was not required, the shearing of a dozen of them did not occupy me long. Some of the more timid were alarmed at a formidable instrument coming so near to their noses, and would scarcely be persuaded by their shaven friends, to allow the operation to be finished. But when their chins were held up a second time, their fear of the instrument - the wild stare of their eyes - and the smile which they forced, formed a compound upon the rough savage countenance, not unworthy the pencil of a Hogarth. I was almost tempted to try what effect a little snip would produce; but our situation was too critical to admit of such experiments.
“Everything being prepared for a retreat, the natives became vociferous for the boat to go up to the lagoon; and it was not without stratagem that we succeeded in getting down to the entrance of the stream, where the depth of water placed us out of their reach.
“Our examination of the country was confined, by circumstances, to a general view. This part is called Alowrie, by the natives, and is very low and sandy near the sides of the rivulet. About four miles up it, to the north-west, is the lagoon, and behind, stands a semicircular range of hills, of which the biggest is Hat Hill [Mount Kembla]. The water in the lagoon was distinctly seen, and appeared to be several miles in circumference. The land round it is probably fertile, and the slopes of the back hills had certainly that appearance. The natives were in nothing, except language, different from those at Port Jackson; but their dogs, which are of the same species, seemed to be more numerous and familiar.
“Soon after dark the sea breeze was succeeded by a calm; and at ten o’clok we rowed out of the rivulet, repassed Red Point, and at one in the morning came to an anchor in 5 fathoms, close to the northernmost of the two rocky islets [Map of Area]. * [Footnote - * These islets seem to what are marked as rocks under water in captain Cook’s chart. In it, also, there are three islets laid down to the south of Red Point, which must be meant for the double islet lying directly in front of it, for there are no others. The cause of the point be named red, escaped our notice.] In the afternoon of the 28th, we got on shore under the high land to the north of Hat Hill [Mount Kembla] and were able to cook provisions and take some repose without disturbance. The sandy beach was our bed; and after much fatigue, and passing three nights of cramp in Tom Thumb, it was to us a bed of down.
“The shore in this part is mostly high and cliffy; and under the cliffs were lying black lumps, apparently of slaty stone, rounded by attrition. These were not particularly noticed, but Mr. Clarke in his disastrous journey along the coast, afterwards made fires of them; and on a subsequent examination, Mr. Bass found a stratum of coal to run through the whole of these cliffs.
“March 29. By rowing hard we got four leagues nearer home; and at night dropped our stone under another range of cliffs, more regular but less high than those near Hat Hill [Mount Kembla]. At ten o’clock, the wind, which had been unsettled and driving electric clouds in all directions, burst out in a gale at south, and obliged us to get up the anchor immediately, and run before it. In a few minutes the waves began to break; and the extreme danger to which this exposed our little bark, was increased by the darkness of the night, and the uncertainty of finding any place of shelter. The shade of the cliffs over our heads, and the noise of the surfs breaking at their feet, were the directions by which our course was steered parallel to the coast.
“Mr. Bass kept the sheet of the sail in his hand, drawing in a few inches occasionally, when he saw a particularly heavy sea following. I was steering with an oar, and it required the utmost exertion and care to prevent broaching to; a single wrong movement, or moment’s inattention, would have sent us to the bottom. The task of the boy was to bale out the water which, in spite of our care, the sea threw in upon us.
“After running an hour in this critical manner, some high breakers were distinguished ahead; and behind them there appeared no shade of cliffs. It was necessary to determine, on the instant, what was to be done, for our bark could not live ten minutes longer. On coming to what appeared to be the extremity of the breakers, the boat’s head was brought to the wind in a favourable moment, the mast and sail taken down, and the oars got out. Pulling then towards the reef during the intervals of the heaviest seas, we found it to terminate in a point; and in three minutes were in smooth water under its lee. A white appearance, further back, kept us a short time in suspense; but a nearer approach showed it to be the beach of a well-sheltered cove, in which we anchored for the rest of the night. So sudden a change, from extreme danger to comparatively perfect safety, excited reflections which kept us some time awake: we thought Providential Cove a well-adapted name for this place; but by the natives, as we afterwards learned, it is called Watta-Mowlee [Wattamolla].
“On landing next morning, March 30, water was found at the back of the beach. The country round the cove is, in general, sandy and barren. No natives were seen, but their traces were recent. The extremity of the reef, which afforded us such signal shelter, bore S.E. by E. from the centre of the beach, the north head of the cove E.N.E.; and except at the immediate five points of the compass, Watta-Mowlee [Wattamolla] affords shelter for large boats, with anchorage on a fine sandy bottom.
“Between three and four miles to the northward of this cove, we found the river, or rather port [Port Hacking], which was the original place of our destination, and it having been a pilot named Hacking, from whom the first information of it had been received, it was named after him: by the natives it is called Deeban.
“April 1st, was employed in the examination of the port. It is something more than one mile wide at the entrance, but soon contracts to half that space, and becomes shallow. neither have the three arms, into which it afterwards branches out, any deep channel into them; although, within the second branch, there are from 3 to 8 fathoms. Finding there was no part accessible to a ship, beyond two miles from the entrance, nor any prospect of increasing our small stock of provisions, Port Hacking was quitted early in the morning of April 2.
“The shores of the port are mostly rocky, particularly on the north side; but there is no want of grass or wood; and without doubt there are many culturable spots on the sides of the streams which descend, apparently from the inland mountains, into the uppermost branch. Two natives came down to us in a friendly manner, and seemed not unacquainted with Europeans. Their language differed somewhat from the Port Jackson dialect, but with the assistance of signs, we were able to make ourselves understood.
“After sounding the entrance of Port Hacking in going out, and finding 3 1/2 fathoms of water, we steered N.E. by E. for Cape Solander; and the same evening Tom Thumb was secured alongside the Reliance in Port Jackson.
“in this little expedition, I had no other means of ascertaining the situations places than by pocket-compass bearings and computed distances; which was done as follows:
“South lat. East lon.
Degrees Mins. Degrees Mins.
“Cliffy south extreme of Cape Solander, lies in 34 2.5 151 12
From thence to Port Hacking, a low curving
Shore, mostly beach, lioes S.W. b. W. 6 miles +3.4 -6
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Situation of Port Hacking 34 5.9 151 6
From Port Hacking to Watta-Mowlee
[Wattamolla]; low cliffs, but rising gradually
to the head of the cove;
S.S.W. 3 1/2 miles +3.2 -1.6
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Situation of Watta-Mowlee [Wattamolla] 34 9.1 151 4.4
Thence to the end of steep cliffs, nearly
straight S.S.W. 4 1/2 miles +4.2 -2.1
To the end of coal cliffs, and commencement of
Hat-Hill [Mount Kembla] beach; mostly a high shore,
sometimes cliffy, with small beaches at intervals;
S. by W. 10 miles, +9.8 -2.4
From thence to Red Point; a curving sandy beach
with small rocky points S. 1/4 E. 6 1/2 miles +6.4 +1.1
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Situation of Red Point 34 29.5 151 1
From Red Pt. to the entrance of Tom Thumb’s
lagoon [Lake Illawarra]; a low, curving sandy
beach; S.W. 5 miles +3.5 -4.3
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Situation of the entrance to Tom Thumb’s
lagoon [Lake Illawarra] 34 33.0 151 56.7
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Flinders observations are remarkable given the equipment he was suing in very small open boat if we compare them to the exact co-ordinates below:
Port Hacking: 34 degrees 05 minutes 151 degree 1 minute
Wattamolla: 34 degrees 08 minutes 151 degrees 07 minutes
Red Point: 34 degrees 29 minutes 150 degrees 55 minutes
Lake Illawarra: 34 degrees 32 minutes 150 degrees 52 minutes.
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