INDEX

• Introduction
• Maps
• Significant Places in Australia's Maritime History
• Naming Australia
• Naming Australia's Coastal Features

WHO DID DISCOVER AUSTRALIA?

• The Phoenecians & Egyptians
• The Greeks & Romans
• The Chinese
• The Muslims
• The Portuguese
• The Dutch
• The British
• The French

COLONIAL EXPLORATION

• Index
• The French
• The British
• Other
• Inland explorers

Colonial Exploration: hydrographers and misc. explorers

1815 - Lieut. Charles Jeffreys (1782 - 1826)
Born: 16 October 1782  Isle of Wight.  Died: 6 May 1826.
Jeffreys lived in Australia 1814-17 and 1820-26 and was a naval officer on trips between Port Jackson and Hobart Town. His "Geographical and Descriptive Delineations of the Island of Van Diemen's Land", published in 1820, is bellieved largely plagiarised from the manuscript of George Evans. Arrived at Port Jackson 1814. Made several trips between Port Jackson and Hobart Town. Was master of HM Armed Brig Kangaroo in May 1815, when it visited the Whitsunday Islands en route from Sydney to Ceylon. Returned to England 1817, coming back to Hobart in 1820. Obtained a grant of 800 acres at Pittwater. While in England he arranged for publication of his "Geographical and Descriptive Delineations of the Island of Van Diemen's Land" in 1820. This was the first of many guides for immigrants intending to settle in VAn Diemen's Land. Most of the information for the book was obtained from the manuscript of Surveyor Evans, who had travelled on Jeffreys' ship between Van Diemen's Land and Port Jackson.

1843 - 45 - Francis Price Blackwood
Capt Francis Price Blackwood RN (1809-1854) commanded HMS Fly 1843-45 continued the surveys of Captains Wickham and Stokes; and made a minute examination of the Great Barrier Reef. Blackwood, in HMS Fly and Lieutenant C.B. Yule, RN in HMS Bramble surveyed the coastal area from Cape Palmerston to Port Molle in 1845.

1847 - 50 - Capt Owen Stanley (1811 - 1850)
Marine surveyor. Born: 13 June 1811  England.  Died: March 1850  Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. As commander of the HMS "Rattlesnake" in 1847-1850, Stanley led a maritime and scientific survey of the Great Barrier Reef and New Guinea waters.

1853-61 - Henry Mangles Denham
Captain Henry Mangles Denham (1800-1887) was hydrographer, HMS Herald during its surveys of sections of the coast of Australia from 1853 to 1861. From 1852 to 1861, the Herald surveyed and charted known land masses and suspected hazards, thereby establishing safe routes for shipping. That some of these charts are still in use is testimony to the accuracy and skill of those who created them. The WA town of Denham is named in his honour.

1864 - 67 - Commander George Stanley Nares RN (1831-1915)
Nares was hydrographer of survey vessel, HMS Salamander, under Capt. Thomas H. Hayman. He surveyed the eastern and north-eastern coasts of Australia and Torres Strait.

1871 - 1874 - John Moresby
Captain John Moresby RN (1830-1922) hydrographer and explorer, HMS Basilisk, on northern Queensland coast 1871-74.

1879 - Edward Parker Bedwell, RN
Admiralty Surveyor for Queensland, Staff Commander E.P. Bedwell, RN. surveyed sections of the central and northern coast of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef including the Whitsunday’s between 1870–1879 in H.M. Surveying Schooner ‘Pearl’ &  Surveying Steamer ‘Llewellyn’.  Edward was born on 22nd February, 1834 in St. Heliers, Jersey, Channel Islands.  He was also an accomplished artist who often painted watercolours of places he visited during his survey work.

1881 - Capt John Fiot Lee Pearse (1838-1907)
Capt J.F.L.P. Maclear, RN in HMS Alert. Spent ten days surveying Port Molle in the Whitsundays during a scientific and hydrographic world cruise. Maclear,
Born at Cape Town on 27 June 1838, died from heart failure in an hotel at Niagara on 17 July 1907. Admiral, son of Sir Thomas Maclear [q. v.], astronomer royal at the Cape of Good Hope, he entered the navy in Sept. 1851 as a cadet on board the Castor, frigate, then bearing the broad pennant of Christopher Wyvill, commodore in command on the Cape station. In her he saw service during the Kaffir war of 1851, and afterwards, as a midshipman of the Algiers, served in the Baltic and in the Black Sea from 1854 to 1856, receiving, the Baltic, Turkish, and Crimean medals, with the clasp for Sevastopol. He passed his examination in July 1857, and served on board the Cyclops in the Red Sea as mate during the outbreak at Jeddah in 1858. On 19 May 1859 he was promoted, to lieutenant, and shortly afterwards appointed to the Sphinx, in which he served on the China station until 1862, being present at several engagements during the second Chinese war, and especially at Taku Forts, for which he received the clasp. In 1863 he went to the Excellent to qualify, as a gunnery lieutenant, and in Feb. 1864, was appointed to the Princess Royal, flagship on the China station. He returned home in her, and in Oct. 1867 was chosen to be first lieutenant of the Octavia, frigate, flagship of Commodore Heath in the East Indies. In her he took part in the, Abyssinian campaign of 1868, earning the medal and his promotion to commander, which was dated 14 Aug. 1868.
In 1872 the Challenger was commissioned by Sir George Nares, with Maclear as his commander, for the voyage of scientific discovery in which the ship went round the world. Returning home in her in 1876, Maclear was on 14 August promoted to captain. In 1879 he succeeded Sir George Nares in command of the Alert, sloop, and remained in her until 1882, completing the survey of the Straits of Magellan. From 1883 to 1887 he commanded the Flying Fish on surveying service, carrying out other valuable scientific work during the same time. On 20 June 1891 he reached flag rank, and two months later retired. He was promoted to vice-admiral on the retired list in 1897, and to admiral in 1903. After leaving the sea, Maclear assisted in the compilation of several volumes of the official sailing directions, especially those for the Eastern Archipelago (1890 and 1893), for the West Coasts of Central America and the United States (1896), for Bering Sea and Alaska (1898), and the 'Arctic Pilot' (vol. ii. 1901 and vol. iii. 1905). He was a fellow of the Royal Geographical and Royal Meteorological societies.
He died from heart failure in an hotel at Niagara on 17 July 1907, and his body was brought to England for burial. He married on 4 June 1878 Julia, sixth daughter of Sir John Frederick William Herschel.

1885 -86 - G.E. Richards
Lieutenant G.E. Richards, RN in HMS Paluma conducted broad surveys extending out to the Barrier Reef and gave many names.

1886 - H.M. Bingham
Commander H.M. Bingham, RN of HMS Virago surveyed sections of the central and northern coast of Queensland and the Gt Barrier Reef.

1895 - 97 - HMS Waterwitch
Hydrographic survey vessel HMS Waterwitch explored and charts sections of the Gt Barrier Reef in 1897.

1924 - Lieutenant F. N. Craven
Lieutenant F. N. Craven of HMAS Geranium surveyed sections of the Gt Barrier Reef in the vicinity of the Whitsunday Islands in the early 1920s

1925, 1926 - 29 Lieut G.A. Gould
Lieut G.A. Gould RAN, hydrographer, served HMAS Moresby 1925, HMAS Geranium 1926 and again in HMAS Moresby 1926-29. He surveyed various sections of the North Queensland coastline and Gt Barrier Reef.

1926-31, 1933-36 - Lieut. J.A. Edgell
Gt Barrier Reef surveyed by survey HMAS Moresby, 1926 to 31 and 1933 to 1836. Edgell was Hydrographer (1932- ), HMS Sealark 1910-11, Captain RN in HMAS Moresby 1925-27, Rear Admiral 1935, Vice Admiral 1942.

1925 - 26 - H. T. Bennett
Lieut Commander H. T. Bennett, DSO, RAN, in HMAS Geranium surveyedf sections of the Gt Barrier Reef in 1925 or 1926.