Our Indooroopilly - Matthew Flinders on Moreton Bay, Aust.& Brisbane

Readings from Primary Sources on Moreton Bay & Brisbane

These "Readings" from Lieutenant Matthew Flinders' report to Captain John Hunter, Governor of New South Wales, are reprinted from J.G. Steele, The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972. J.G. Steele used text from a manuscript copy made for Governor King which is in the Mitchell Library.
Note that Footnotes are per J.G. Steele.

Lieutenant (later Captain) Matthew Flinders left Sydney on the 8 July 1799 in the sloop "Norfolk" to examine the coast to the north for useful ports and rivers. He took with him as interpreter a Sydney area Aborigine called Bongaree. He reached Cape Moreton on the 14 July and spent the following 2 weeks exploring the bay and its environs. On the 16 July, he anchored for the night off Bribie Island and the following morning had a brush with a party of Aborigines, one of whom tried to steal Flinders' cabbage-tree hat. A spear flew over the gunwale and Flinders fired at and wounded the thrower. He named the point Point Skirmish (now South Point).
On 17 July, Flinders started to explore the southern part of the bay and anchored off a high point of red rock which Flinders named Red Cliff Point (now Woody Point). They were under way the next morning proceeding further south and scanning the shoreline for any signs of a river which Joseph Banks believed might flow into the bay. The entrance to the future Brisbane River was too well concealed by low-lying mangrove-covered islands. Finding that there was a passage from Glass House Bay to the ocean, he realised that Cook's Cape Moreton was on an island which he then named Moreton Island. He also renamed Glass House Bay to Moreton Bay.
Other islands he discovered were Mud, St. Helena, Green, King, Peel and Coochie Mudlo. On 20 July, Flinders turned back and anchored off a river which he named Pumice Stone River. He spent the following 10 days exploring on foot some of the country surrounding the Glasshouse Mountains and effecting repairs to the "Norfolk". On 31 July, he sailed north to Hervey Bay.

Extract from a copy of Flinders' report

SUNDAY 14TH	At ten in the morning we steered West for a large space where no land was visible; and seeing breakers off the south point of the opening, were satisfied that this was Moreton Bay.¹ The breakers are occasioned by a small, flat, rocky island² which lays North three or four miles from Cape Lookout. We passed between these and when the Point bore S.5°E. two and a half miles, got ground with 20 fathoms, the bottom a blackish peppery sand. At noon Point Lookout bore S.E. three or three and a half miles and the observed latitude being 27° 24' 6" it raised some doubts whether this could be Moreton Bay, for Capt. Cook's latitude of the point is 27° 6'. This however proved to be Point Lookout and its latitude must be about 27° 26'¾" South. After steering half an hour longer upon a West Course, for an opening in the head of this bay, the water shoaled to four fathoms; and seeing breakers running out from the low sandy South side of the opening³ towards the middle of the Bay, we wore round and steered N.E.B.N. past the shoal water and then kept away along the shore for the northern extreme. There appeared to be a very large extent of water within the opening, but I suspect there is no passage for a vessel this way.⁴ The country to the seaward is wretchedly sandy, as was that which we sailed along in the afternoon. At dusk Cape Moreton bore West two or three miles, and the highest Glasshouse, whose peak was just topping over the distant land, had opened round it at W.3° or 4° N. Two Haycock like hummocks distinct from any other land opened soon after a few degrees to the southward.⁵ We now hauled in around Cape Moreton to go into Glass House Bay, and, when the extreme of the Cape bore South one mile and half, struck soundings with fourteen fathoms⁶ upon a sandy bottom. Steering West, we carried eight fathoms till eight o'clock, when having little wind, and that from the southward, we dropped Anchor for the night, Cape Moreton bearing E.B.S. two or three miles. In the morning we made a trip over to the Glass Houses, the wind being from the South-westward, but getting into shoal water kept working to windward near the eastern shore till noon. The observed latitude then was 27° 00' 29" South and
MONDAY 15TH	Cape Moreton bearing E.10° N. 2 or 3 miles will be in the same latitude allowing the variation to be 10° E. This differs 4½' from its situation in Capt. Cook's Voyage.
WEDNESDAY 17TH	At daylight on Wednesday morning we again weighed and turned up with a southerly breeze as long as the tide lasted. At half past ten o'clock anchored one mile and a half off a point that has red cliffs in it⁷, in three and half fathoms. A little West of this Point I observed the latitude with the artificial horizon to be 27 degrees 15' 25" S. The bight⁸ which lays around the Point, is shoal with a muddy bottom; the land is low, but not so sandy as in the neighbourhood of the river. The rocks are a strongly impregnated Iron Stone, with some small pieces of granite and chrystal scattered about the shore. From the Red Cliff Point we pulled over to a green head⁹ about miles to the westward, round which the bight is contracted into a river-like form,¹⁰ but the greatest part of it is dry at low water. The weod we collected at high water mark for out fire, proved to be Cedar and of a fine Grain. A light sea breeze coming from the northward in the afternoon, on our return on board, we got the Sloop underweigh, steering out course S.E.B.S. The water gradually shoaled to two fathoms, and the breeze dying away at the same time, we pulled to the north eastward with the sweeps into two and a half, and then anchored for the night upon a soft muddy bottom. The extreme near Cape Moreton now bore N. 21 degrees E. and the farthest connected land now visible on the same side of the bay, E.N.E., which is not far from the latitude of the entrance¹¹of Moreton Bay; the shore to the S.W. was four or five miles distant.¹²
THURSDAY 18TH	In the morning there was a moderate breeze from the Southward, and having a flood tide we got underweigh. After running a little to the northward to get into deeper water, we hauled up to pass between two islands of from three to four miles circuit each. The northernmost one¹³ is the largest and appeared to be well covered with wood, probably the greater part of Mangrove, the Island being low almost with the water's edge. The foliage of the Trees upon the southern one¹⁴ was equally dark and luxuriant with this, but the interior part of the Island is higher. To the Southward of this last also, there are two smaller Islands,¹⁵ nearly upon a level with the first and covered with Woods; the southernmost one, however is very small. In passing between the the two first islands, our surroundings were from seven and a half to four and a half fathoms, with a muddy bottom, and then increased to twelve fathoms; but shoaling again suddenly to three we tacked to the westward a little before ten o'clock. In this situation the entrance from Moreton Bay was open, the South side¹⁶ of it bearing N. 68 degrees E. six or eight miles and the west side of what will now be Moreton Island¹⁷ bore N. 2 degrees W. Another island,¹⁸ apparently larger than either of the four mentioned, bore from the same place S. 55 degrees to 34 degrees E. at the distance of about five miles. Reckoning the northernmost of the four island to be the first in number, we made our course good for the third island,¹⁹ after tacking; and the water deepened almost immediately to six fathoms. From our situation at this Anchorage, Glass House Bay seemed to be closed around, except at one small opening, which bore S. 27 degrees E.²⁰ As soon as the ebb tide slacked, we got under weigh to turn up for it. On our standing near the south part of the shoal that seemed to surround the island²¹ we tacked occasionally to get as far up the bay as possible, whilst the tide was favourable for us. A little before twelve at night, we were obliged to anchor, finding that the deep water had contracted into a narrow channel. From this situation the South side of Moreton entrance bore N. 12 degrees E. and the large eastern island²² from N. 5 degrees to 38 degrees W. at the distance to two or three miles. Between this island and the shore to the eastward there are two small spots, which being covered with wood look as if they were models for islands;²³ their appearance very pretty.
FRIDAY 19TH	In the morning we again weighed to beat up towards an island²⁴ bearing S. 33 degrees 22 degrees W. two or three miles, past which there appeared to be an arm leading to the Southward.²⁵ After a good deal of trouble and getting frequently into shoal water, we were obliged to give up the idea of finding the deep channel, if there was any, and anchored about a mile and a half N.E.B.E. from the island, in two fathoms, the bottom muddy as before. Going ashore to the island in the boat, we sounded in six fathoms twice; from whence I concluded that there is a deep, though narrow passage to the eastward of this island. The island is two or three miles in circumference. The central part is higher than the skirts and is covered with a coat of fine vegetable mould of a reddish colour. On the S.E. side of the island, this higher part descends suddenly into a steep bank, where the earth is as red as blood; and being clayey, portions of it are almost hardened into rock. The trees upon it are large and luxuriant and the new Pine is amongst them. The exterior part of the island on the west side is a flat, which the tide seems to rise over. It is abundantly covered with large Mangrove Trees. On the S.W. and N.E. sides, it is mostly low and sandy and here the Palm-Nut tree is produced. I conjecture that it is these nuts principally which induce the natives to visit this island. There was abundant testimony under the trees that they were not suffered to fall off and rot. The black and the white cockatoo, the beautiful laylock headed parroquet and the bald-headed Mocking bird of Port Jackson, inhabit here, but there were no marks of quadrupeds, vermin excepted. The latitude of this island, deduced from the Sun's altitude at Noon is 27 degrees 34' 59" S., making the depth of this bay from Cape Moreton to be thirty-four miles; for beyond this island the bay is contracted into a river²⁶ of considerable width indeed, but it appeared to be so shoal, or if there was any deep channel, to be so difficult of access, that I gave up the idea of pursuing it further, especially as the wind seemed adverse; and therefore returned on board with the intention of running into the river²⁷ near the Glass House Peaks; there to lay the Sloop ashore and get fresh water, if a convenient situation could be found. It was with a good deal of trouble, and the risk of getting repeatedly aground that we again got into the deep channel, that runs past the south side of the large easternmost island.²⁸ At three quarters of a mile from the point of the spit, laying off from the west end of this island and when the same spit bore N. 30 degrees E. in a line with the south side of Moreton entrance, our soundings were five and half and six fathoms; and steering from thence with a fair breeze, to repass between the first and second islands, carried various soundings between 4 ½ and 8 fathoms. At dusk we dropped the anchor on the north side of the second island,²⁹ in two and a half fathoms; and next morning when it was low water, saw that the shoal, by which this island is partly if not altogether surrounded, was dry at no great distance from us. There was no appearance of natives upon this second island.
SATURDAY 20TH	Rainy, blowing weather prevented us from getting under weigh earlier in the morning than 10 o'clock, and the interval in which it ceased, was so short that soon after eleven we anchored again in five fathoms. From thence we steered for Pumice Stone River³⁰ in the afternoon, thinking to run into by the west side of the dry shoal that lays off its mouth; but finding after repeated attempts that the shoal water extended as it is marked in the sketch, and the wind being at South East, we anchored at sunset, in two fathoms; the mouth of the river bearing W. about two miles.

1.	Captain Cook's Morton Bay, the shallow bight between Point Lookout and Cape Moreton.
2.	Flat Rock, first seen by Cook, but deriving its name from Flinders' chart.
3.	This opening is the South Passage, and Flinders subsequently (18 July) proved that it led to Glass House Bay. The south side of the opening is Amity Point. There is a possibility that this opening did not exist at the time of Cook's visit and had been created subsequently and before Flinders came.
4.	South Passage became the usual shipping route from the ocean to the Brisbane River. In 1847 the steamer "Sovereign" was lost in the South Passage and forty-six were drowned; soon after, the northern entrance became the normal route.
5.	The hummocks mentioned are Beerburrum (906 feet) and the higher (1025 feet) of the two Tunbubudlas, otherwise known as the Twins.
6.	A fathom is 6 feet.
7.	Woody Point, the south-east part of the Redcliffe Peninsula.
8.	Bramble Bay
9.	Clontarf Point
10.	Hay's Inlet
11.	Flinders was now almost sure that there was a passage from Cook's Morton Bay (Pacific Ocean) to Glass House Bay (Moreton Bay).
12.	This shore included the mouth of the Brisbane River, concealed by low islands.
13.	Mud Island.
14.	St. Helena Island.
15.	Green Island and King Island (very small).
16.	Amity Point.
17.	First use of the name Moreton Island.
18.	Peel Island.
19.	Green Island.
20.	Towards Redland Bay.
21.	Green Island.
22.	Peel Island.
23.	Bird Island and Goat Island.
24.	Coochie Mudlo Island. This is the native name for the island and means "red stone".
25.	Redland Bay.
26.	Not a river, but Redland Bay or channels to the south.
27.	Pumicestone Channel.
28.	Peel Island.
29.	St. Helena Island.
30.	First use of the name Pumice Stone River. The pumice stone had been discovered on 16 July.