Matthew Flinders
Flinders, Matthew (1774–1814), an English navigator. Flinders joined the British navy in 1789. On a voyage to Australia, 1795–99, he sailed around and charted the island of Tasmania. On a second voyage, 1801–03, he sailed around the entire continent of Australia. While returning to England, he was detained by the French on the island of Mauritius and did not arrive home until 1810. A Voyage to Terra Australis (1814) is his account of this expedition.
Flinders devised a means to prevent the iron on a ship from deflecting a compass needle, and is said to have been the first navigator to predict wind changes from barometer readings. The southern coast of Australia was formerly called Flinders Land. The Flinders Ranges extend northward from Adelaide in South Australia.