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The Discovery of Australia: Naming Australia's Coastline
Cape York to Darwin
QUEENSLAND
Torres Strait
Name honours Luis Vaez de Torres who unknowlngly sailed throgh the strait in September 1606, six months after the Dutch vessel Duyfken sailed these waters. It came from the west but failed to find a passage through, and followed the eastern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria south instead.
North Possession Islet
17.9.1792. Bligh. Lt Guthrie took possession of the nearby islands for the British crown. Bligh named it Possession Isld but its name was changed to avoid confusion with Cook's Possession Isld not far away.
Jervis Isld
12.9.1792. Bligh. Named after British Admiral John Jervis.
Lookout Isld
17.9.1792. Bligh. A lookout for a clear passage was checked here.
Mulgrave Isld
17.9.1792. Bligh. Named after the Earl of Mulgrave, Edmund Sheffield. Its Aboriginal name is Badu Island.
Banks Isld
11.9.1792. Bligh. Named after Sir Joseph Banks, Lieut. James Cook's botanist on HMs Endeavour.
Hawkesbury Isld
2.9.1791. Edwards. Recalls British statesman Charles Jenkinson (1727-1808), First Earl of Liverpool, and the Baron of Hawkesbury.
Wednesday Isld
3.6.1789. Bligh. Named during open boat voyage Tahiti to Koep and following the mutiny aboard HMS Bounty. It was sighted on a Wednesday. Also known locally as Maururra Island.
Horn Isld
Admiralty Hydrographer. Named because of the shape of a two-peak hill on north-east side of the Island. Also known locally as Narupia Isld. Named Lefroy Isld by Edwards, 1.9.1791.
Hammond Isld
Named by Captain Edward Edwards RN, September 1791, while on passage to Timor in the boats of the wrecked HMS Pandora. Possibly Edwards named the island after Sir Andrew Snape Hamond (note different spelling) RN (1738-1828) naval officer, Commissioner of the Navy 1793-1806. Also known by its indigenous name of Keriri Island.
Prince of Wales Isld / Cape Cornwall
22.8.1770. Cook. Named after George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall (Lake King George IV). The island was marked on early Dutch charts as 't Hooge Eylandt ("the high island"), probably by the 1623 Carstenszoon expedition. It is also called Muralug Island, being its Aboriginal name.
 Possession Isld (right)
22.8.1770. Cook. The island upon which possession of New South Wales was made for the British Crown.
Christian Isld
2.9.1791. Edwards. Probably named after Fletcher Christian, leader of the mutineers against William Bligh, HMS Bounty.
Parker Isld
2.9.1791. Edwards. Named after Sir Hyde Parker (1739-1807), British Admiral.
Goode Isld
23.8.1770. Cook. Named after Peter Goode, gardener, HMS Endeavour.
Cornwallis Isld
 2.9.1791. Edwards. Named after General Charles Cornwallis (right), 2nd Earl and 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738-805), a British general and colonial governor. In America, he is most remembered for his role in the American Revolutionary War. Cornwallis fought the American Continental Army at Princeton, New Jersey in 1777, led by General George Washington. Cornwallis surrendered to the Americans at the Battle of Yorktown, on October 19, 1781, thus ending the war. He was ultimately blamed for losing the war to the colonists. He was made Governor General of India in 1805. He died at Ghazipur in Benares shortly after arriving, and is buried overlooking the Ganges River.
Port Lihou
Probably named by Admiralty Hydrographer, date unknown, after Captain Lihou RN, HMS Zenobia, 1823.
Rampfield Head
Thursday Island
4.6.1789. Bligh. Discovered on a Thursday.
Endeavour Strait
23.8.1770. Cook. Strait through which Endeavour sailed.
Booby Isld
23.8.1770. Cook. Booby birds shot here.
 Shelburne Bay (right)
23.8.1770. Cook. Named after a vilage in Ireland.
Cook Reef
Admiralty hydrographer. Named after Lieut. James Cook. The Reef was charted by Cook.
Sketty Belle Shoal
Thought to be named after a vessel that went aground here.
Merkara Shoal
Believed to be of Aboriginal origin.
Proudfoot Shoal
No information available.
Red Wallis Isld / Woody Wallis Isld
August 1770. Cook. Named after Capt. Samuel Wallis of HMS Dolphin. It was Wallis who, durng a voyage across the Pacific in 1767, rediscovered Tahiti, which had first been visited by Quiros.
Dayman Isld / Dayman Channel
Admiralty Hydrographer. Named after Lieut J. Dayman, naval officer, HMS Rattlesnake 1847-48.
 Van Spoult Pt (right)
12.4.1623. Cartstensz. Named after Herman van Speult, Governor of Ambon, who had commissioned his voyage of exploration.
Mutee Head
Believed to be of Aboriginal origin.
Crab Isld
Named Moent Island by Willem Jansz (1570?-163?) navigator and merchant, in yacht Duyfken 1606.
Vrilya Pt
No information available.
Doughboy River
No information available.
MacDonald River
Also known locally as the Collet River, named after Collet Barker (1784--1831), a military officer and explorer, who explored areas of South Australia, Western Australia and Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory including this coast. Mount Barker in SA was named for him by Captain Sturt who erroneously thought it was Mount Lofty, and the eponymous town is named for the mountain. The town of Mount Barker, Western Australia and the electoral division of Division of Barker in south-eastern South Australia are also named for him.
Jackson River
No information available.
Skardon River
Named by Francis Lascelles Jardine (1841-1919) pastoralist, 17 January 1865, after Joseph Skardon of the Rockhampton Hotel, Rockhampton.
Kerr Reef
Named after George Kerr (1853-19??) master mariner, Torres Strait area.
Port Musgrave
20.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Sir Anthony Musgrave (1828-1888) Governor of Queensland 1883-88. This opening was the one named Prince River by Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603-1659) mariner, in 1644, in yacht Limmen.
Wenlock River
Originally named Carpentier River by Jan Cartstensz, 15.4.1623, after Pieter de Carpentier, a councillor the of Dutch East India Company and Governor-General of the Dutch East indies, 1623-1627. The Wenlock River is a major river of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. It rises in the Great Dividing Range, flows north-west through tropical savanna plains and wetlands, and enters the Gulf of Carpentaria on the western side of the peninsula at Port Musgrave just north of Mapoon. Formerly the Batavia River, it was renamed in 1938 by Surveyor-General, after Parish which was named reportedly after Baron Wenlock. The River name change followed the change of name of the proclaimed Goldfield from Batavia to Wenlock. A river nearby was named Batavia River by Carstenz in yacht Pera (1623), after capital of Dutch Java (present day Jakarta), but for many years it was believed that present day Wenlock River had ben given that name by Carstenz, and was thus known by that name until 1938.
Pennefather River
Willem Jansz (1570-163?), commander of the VOC yacht, Duyfken (‘Little Dove’), and upper-merchant Jan Lodewijkszoon van Roseingeyn, made the first recorded European landfall and authenticated landing on Austraslian soil at R met het Bosch (‘R[iver] with Bush/Forest’, now Pennefather River) in 1606. It is a rather intriguing coincidence that Australia’s first recorded placename should include the word ‘bush’, a term which now holds such emblematic significance for the nation’s psyche. The name fittingly encapsulates the common attitude of all other Dutch explorers towards the Southland – that it was barren and offered nothing of
commercial value. The European names formerly applied to the Pennefather River are confusing. Unfortunately the Duyfken journals have not been seen since the early seventeenth century so that information about the voyage and places visited must be obtained from observations by later Dutch explorers such as Jan Carstenzoon who was in the area in 1623. Carstenszoon gave the name Coen River to a river at latitude 13º 7' South. However, geologist Robert L. Jack examined the naming of the river in his 1921 history of Cape York Peninsula and came to the conclusion that Carstenzoon's Coen River was in fact Norman Creek which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria about four kilometres south of False Pera Head at 13º 4' South. Later research by Günter Schilder, however, suggests that it was the river now known as the Archer that empties into the Gulf just south of Aurukun. Matthew Flinders visited the Pennefather River on 7th November 1802 and assumed from the Dutch chart which he was using that the river was the Coen and for that reason the hydrographic charts of the area showed that name.
The river's current name honours Captain Charles Edward de Fonblanque Pennefather who in 1880, in command of the Queensland Government Schooner (QGS) Pearl, sailed from Thursday Island to examine the coast and rivers on the eastern side of the Gulf of Carpentaria. He took a whaleboat into the Coen River at latitude 12º 13' South and then sailed southwards to the Archer River then again back to the Batavia River. It became apparent that there were two Coen rivers in the Western Cape region: the Coen named by Flinders and the South Coen which rose in the eastern ranges and drained into the Archer River. In 1894 the Coen River was re-named the Pennefather to avoid confusion with the South Coen River and the South Coen was re-named the Coen River. However, he British Admiralty Chart for the Gulf of Carpentaria retained the name Coen until the 1960s, possibly because the Admiralty Hydrographic Office was not advised of the change by the Queensland government. Eventually a number of placenames on western Cape York Peninsula which varied between those shown on Admiralty charts and other maps were renamed for the sake of uniformity and the name Pennefather River appeared in the Australia Pilot in 1967.
Duyfken Point/Cape
8.11.1802. Flinders. Named after the Dutch yacht Duyfken which Willem Jansz had sailed aboard along the Carpentaria coast in 1606. On 8th May 1623, Jan Carstenszoon and his crew fought a skirmish with 200 Aborigines at the mouth of a small river near Cape Duyfken and landed at the Pennefather River. He named the small river Carpentier River, and the Gulf of Carpentaria in honour of Pieter de Carpentier, at that time Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
Mission River
Named after the Mapoon Mission established by Reverend J.G. Ward in 1891.
Coen River
The present Norman Creek was originally called Coen River by Jan Carstenszoon in 1623 in honour of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. Abel Janszoon Tasman sailed along the western Cape York Peninsula coastline in 1644 and charted the Coen River as the Prince River. The present Archer River was probably confused by Matthew Flinders with Carstenszoon's Coen River. The Coen River is a tributary of the Archer River and was for a time known as the South Coen River.
Norman Creek
Geologist Robert L. Jack examined the naming of the river in his 1921 history of Cape York Peninsula and came to the conclusion that Carstenzoon's Coen River was in fact Norman Creek which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria about four kilometres south of False Pera Head at 13º 4' South. Later research by Günter Schilder, however, suggests that it was the river now known as the Archer that empties into the Gulf just south of Aurukun. The origin of the present name is not known.
Albatross Bay
Named by either Captain Kerr or John Douglas (1828-1904), Government Resident, Thursday Island, after the Colonial Government Vessel, Albatross.
Boyd Point
No information available.
Pera Head / False Pera Head
8.11.1802. Flinders. Named after the Dutch yacht Pera, commanded in 1623 by Jan Carstenszoon (1596-16??) merchant and navigator, on exploration voyage from Batavia. False Pera Head was named by Charles Edward de Fonblanque Pennefather (1848-1922) shipmaster and public servant, 26th June 1880.
Ward River
Named after Reverend J.G. Ward, missionary and first Superintendent of Mapoon Mission 1891-95.
Watson River
Named by John Thomas Embley (1858-1937) surveyor, ca.1895, after Leo Watson, pastoralist, Merluna Downs pastoral run.
Archer Bay
Probably derived from Archer River, named by Francis (Frank) Jardine (1841-1919) and Alexander Jardine (1843-1920) on 5th January 1865, after the Archer family of Gracemere, Rockhampton.
Cape Keer-Weer
March 1606. Janz. Meaning literally 'turnaround', it was here that Willem Jansz retraced his steps. This was the first recorded naming of a coastal feature.
Wallaby Isld
20.7.1841. Stokes. Wallabies shot here.
Staaten River
25.4.1623. Carstenszoon. Named after the States General of the United Provinces (Frisia, Groningen, Overijssel, Holland, Gelderland, Utrecht and Zeeland), known as the Netherlands (Staaten is Dutch for States).
Van Diemen Inlet
April 1644. Tasman. Named after Antonio van Diemen, Governor of Batavia.
Pt Austin
20.7.1841. Stokes. Named after crew member, HMS Beagle.
Fitzmaurice Pt
July 1841 Stokes. Named after Master's Mate L.R. Fitzmaurice, HMS Beagle.
Alligator Point
20.7.1841. Stokes. Crocodiles (mistaken for alligators) seen here.
Middle Point
20.7.1841. Stokes. Its location.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Disaster Inlet
20.7.1841. Stokes. Lt Graham Gore accidentally shot by the discharge of a rifle being used to shoot cockatoos for dinner.
Gore Point
20.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Lieut. Graham Gore, HMS Beagle.
Kangaroo Point
27.7.1841. Stokes. Kangaroos seen here (it is recorded that the name was given for want of a better name).
Williams Inlet
Pasco Inlet
6.8.1841. Stokes. Named after John Pasco, seaman, HMS Beagle, who discovered the inlet.
Bynoe Inlet
10.8.1841. Stokes. Named after Benjamin Bynoe, surgeon and bird collector, HMS Beagle.
Tarrant Pt
29.7.1841. Stokes. Named after William Tarrant, master's assistant, HMS Beagle.
South Wellesley Islands
7.12.1802. Flinders. Named after Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), Earl of Mornington, Marquis Wellesley, Governor General of India. Born in Ireland, was sent to Eton, and subsequently to a military college at Angers. He entered the army as ensign in 1787, passed rapidly through the lower ranks, became major in 1793, but did little regimental duty, for he was aide-de-camp to the lord-lieutenant of Ireland. His first active service was in Holland in 1794/5. In 1796, he was sent to India.
Bentinck Isld
 7.12.1802. Flinders. Named after Lord William Bentinck (1774-1839), governor-general of India, was the second son of the 3rd duke of Portland and was born on the i4th of September 1774. He entered the army, rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and was present at Marengo. In 1803 he was nominated governor of Madras, where he quarrelled with the chief justice, Sir Henry Gwillim, and several members of his council. The sepoy mutiny at Vellore in 1807 led to his recall. His name was considered at this time for the Dost of governor-general, but Lord Minto was selected instea and it was not until twenty years later that he succeeded Lord Amherst in that office. His governor-generalship (1827-1835) was notable for~ many reforms, chief among which were the suppression of the Thugs, the abolition of suttee, and the making of the English language the basis of education in India. It was on this last subject that Lord Macaulays famous minute was written. Lord Williams administration was essentially peaceful, but progressive and successful. He died at Paris on the 17th of June 1839.
Aliens Island
7.12.1802. Flinders. Named "After the practical miner of the expedition".
Horseshoe Island
7.12.1802. Flinders. "from its form".
Sweers Isld
7.12.1802. Flinders. First sighted by Abel Tasman in 1644, who thought the island was a headland and named the channel between Sweers and Bentinck as Maet Suykers River after a member of the Council of Batavia who had sponsored his expedition. When Flinders arrived in 1802, he found that no river existed so he named the island "Sweers Island" after Salomon Sweers, another member of the Council which gave the Instructions to Abel Tasman regarding his voyage to New Holland of 1644. Sweers was born 15th June 1611 in Amsterdam. Educated as a merchant, he worked as bailiff of the island of Texel (Netherlands) in service for the counts of Holland. He later became an under merchant in India for The East-India Company (VOC) where he became ordinaris counselor as an extension of his role as the manager of one of the Dutch offices. Sweers was married in Batavia (Djakarta) on 16th August 1637 to Catrina Jansdr. On 29th November 1662, he returned to and settled in Amsterdam as a merchant. In 1664 he became the manager of the Madhouse in Amsterdam and in 1667, church master at Noorder kerk (North Church). Sweers died in Amsterdam on 2nd March 1674.
Investigator's Road
7.12.1802. Flinders. Named after expedition vessel, Investigator, that anchored here.
Fowler Isld
7.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Capt. Fowler, 1st Lieut., Investigator.
Pt Inscription
7.7.1841. Stokes. Inscription of the name Investigator found carved into a tree. The inscription was made by Flinders' expediuion to the area 39 years earlier.
Margaret Isld
Douglas Isld
Bessie Isld
Alan Isld
17.11.1802. Flinders. Named after John Allan (note different spelling), practical miner, Investigator.
Albinia Isld
Horseshoe Isld
17.11.1802. Flinders. Its shape.
Wellesley Islands
![]() 7.12.1802. Flinders. Named after the Earl of Mornington, 1st Marquis Wellesley (right), Governor General of India.
Bountiful Islds
7.12.1802. Flinders. Many turtles found there.
Tuberrer Isld
Allens Isld
13.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Allens, crew member, Beagle.
Bayley Pt / Bayley Isld
13.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Bayley, crew member Beagle.
Forsythe Isld
13.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Forsythe, assistant surveyor, Beagle, its discoverer.
Andrew Isld
Denham Isld
13.7.1841. Stokes. Named after a Crew member.
Lingunanji Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Moondalbee Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Pisonia Isld
3.12.1802. Flinders. Thicky covered with Pisonia trees.
Sydney Isld
3.12.1802. Flinders. Named after Charles Townshend, Lord Sydney, Chancellor of the Exchequer, after who the city of sydney would be named.
Mornington Isld
7.12.1802. Flinders. Named after the Earl of Mornington, Marquis Wellesley, Governor General of India.
Makian Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Wurgujin Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Gee Wee Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Bilmagan Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Halls Pt
7.12.1802. Flinders. Named after Sir William Hall, Viscount Dunwich, Earl of Stradbroke
Investigator Road
17.11.1802. Flinders. Named after the expedition ship, Investigator.
Point Barker
13.7.1841. Stokes. Named after Charles Barker, officer in charge of small boat which conducted a survey. Later Commandant at Melville Island settlement.
Masscare Inlet
Tully Inlet
Named after William Alcock Tully (1830-1905), Queensland's Surveyor-General 1875-89.
Pelican Spit
7.12.1802. Flinders. Pelikans seen at the locality.
Port McArthur
7.12.1802. Flinders. Governor George McArthur.
Sir Edward Pellew Group / Cape Pellew
16.12.1802. Flinders. Named after Edward Pellew Exmouth (1757-1833). First Viscount, born at Dover on 19,04., descended from a family which came originally from Normandy, but had for many centuries been settled in the west of Cornwall. At the age of thirteen, he entered the navy, and even then his smartness and activity, his feats of daring, and his spirit of resolute independence awakened a remark. On the outbreak of the French War in 1793, he was appointed to the Nymph, a frigate of 36 guns; and, not withstanding that for the sake of the expedition she was manned chiefly by Cornish miners, he captured, after a desperate conflict, the French frigate La Cléopâtra, a vessel of equal strength. For this act he obtained the honour of knighthood. In 1802 Sir Edward Pellew was elected member parliament for Dunstable. In 1804 he was made rear-admiral of the blue, and appointed Commander-in-chief in India. He returned to England in 1809, and in 1810 was appointed Commander-in-chief in the North Sea, and in 1811 Commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean.
South West Isld
16.12.1802. Flinders. Its location in the group.
West Isld
16.12.1802. Flinders. Its location in the group.
Craggy Isld
16.12.1802. Flinders. Descriptive.
North Isld
16.12.1802. Flinders. Its location in the group.
Centre Isld
16.12.1802. Flinders. Its location in the group.
Vanderlin Isld / Cape Vanderlin
April 1644. Tasman. Named after Cornelis Vanderlyn, a councillor the of Dutch East India Company and Governor-General of the Dutch East indies, 1645-50.
Beatrice Isld / Cape Beatrice
Named after 'HMS Beatrice', under the Command of Hutchison. They surveyed navigatable extent of the Adelaide River and along the NT coast.
Maria Isld
April 1644. Tasman. Named after Maria Van Diemen, daughter of Antonio van Diemen, a councillor the of Dutch East India Company and Governor-General of the Dutch East indies, 1636-45.
Limmen Bight
April 1644. Tasman. Expedition vessel, Limmen.
Port Roper
19.10.1845. Ludwig Leichhardt named Port Roper and the Roper River after John Roper during his journey from Queensland to the Victoria Settlement, Port Essington, Cobourg Peninsula, NT. John Roper was a member of Leichhardt's expedition.
Warrakunta Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Edward Isld
Nyinpinti Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Rantirrity Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Cape Barrow
27.5.1818. King. Named after Sir John Barrow, Secretary to the Admiralty.
Bickerton Isld
4.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, RN.
Groote Eylandt
5.1623. Coolsteerdt. Charts resulting from a Dutch voyage of 1623 marked the island as Groote Eylandt, which mean Great Island. The original Dutch spelling has been retained.
Marangelo Bay
Inamalamandja Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Sandy Hd
July 1841. Stokes. descriptive.
Tasman Pt
July 1841. Stokes. Named after Abel Tasman who visited the area in 1644.
Scott Pt
Edward Scott, 18 year old expedition member and companion of explorer Edward J Eyre.
North East Isles
14.1.1803. Flinders. Its proximity to Groote Eylandt
Winchelsea Isld
14.1.1803. Flinders. Named after George Finch (1752-1856), 9th Earl of Winchelsea and Lord Lieutenant of Rutland
Hawknest Isld
Probably because of the existence of large nests here.
Port Longdon
Probably has its origins in the London Parish of Longdon. The Manor of Longdon at one time passed to Sir William Paget (later Lord Paget), one of the principal Secretaries of State to Henry VIII.
Connexion Isld
14.1.1803. Flinders. "a survey was connected by its means".
Burney Isld
18.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Capt. James Burney, RN.
Blue Mud Bay
4.1.1803. Flinders. the colour of the mud there.
Bennet Bay
Morgan Isld
18.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Thomas Morgan, seaman, investigator, who died of sunstroke there.
Bustard Isld
18.1.1803. Flinders. Bustard birds (brush turkeys) seen here.
Isle Woodah
18.1.1803. Flinders. Shaped like a woodah, which is an Aboriginal spear.
Nicol Isld
Grandall Pt / Grindall Bay
27.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Vice admiral Grindall.
Pt Blane
27.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Sir Gilbert Blane, member, Naval Medical Board.
Myucola Bay
Cape Shield
26.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Capt. William Shield, Commissioner of the Royal Navy.
Arrowsmith Pt
26.1.1803. Flinders. Named after British chartmaker, Thomas Arrowsmith, who prepared Flinders' charts. Arrowsmith (1750-1823) migrated to London from Winston in Durham when about 20 years of age, and was employed by John Cary, the engraver. In 1790 he made himself famous by his large chart of the world on Mercator's projection. Four years later a published another large map of the world on the globular projection, with a companion volume of explanation. The maps of North America (1796) and Scotland (1807) are the most celebrated of his many later productions.
Bald Pt
Trial Bay
Cape Grey / Grey's Bay
28.7.1819. King. Named after Expedition member, Sir George Grey.
Caledon Bay
9.2.1803. Flinders. Named after De Pre Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope colony, 1806-14.
Pt Middle
2.2.1803. Flinders. Its location in the middle of Caledon Bay.
Pt Alexander
2.2.1803. Flinders. Named after Alexander Dalrymple, Hydrographer of the Admiralty.
Three Hummocks Isld
2.2.1803. Flinders. Descriptive.
Port Bradshaw
Its Aboriginal name is Dhaniya.
Cape Arnhem / Arnhem Bay
11.2.1803. Flinders. The name recalls the Dutch vessel Arnhem which explored these shores in May 1623. On 5th May 1623, expedition leader Jan Carstenszoon named it Cape Hollandia after his homeland.
 Arnhem Land
April 1644. Tasman. Named after the Dutch vessel, Arnhem, which explored the area in 1623 (Gove Peninsula, right).
Bremer Isld
Named after James John Gordon Bremer, captain, Tamar. Bremer Island was originally named Melville Isles by Matthew Flinders on 16.2.1803, and notes in his journal' "not being laid down in the Dutch chart, I distinguish it, with the islets and rocks to the north and north east by the name of the Melville Islets." Earlier he had named Mount Saunders and Mount Dundas.
Dundas Pt / Port Dundas
16.2.1803. Filnders. Named after Robert Saunders Dundas, Viscount Melville.
Point Barlow
Named after Captain Maurice Barlow of the 3rd Regiment of Foot (the Buffs), the Commandant of settlement on Melville Island.
Nulwarung Straits
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Mallison Isld
24.2.1803. Flinders. Named after his wife's mother, Anne Mallison.
Romangis Bay
Everett Isld
Probabeie Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Ulundurwi Bay
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Flinders Pt
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after Samuel Flinders, crew member and Matthew Flinders' nephew.
Pera Channel
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after the Dutch vessel which explored the area in 1623 under Cartstensz.
Buckingham Bay
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.
Point Napier / Napier Peninsula
Oct 1867. Francis Cadell. Named after William Napier, author.
 The English Company's Islands
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after the British East India Company. Previously named Company Islands by Lenaert Jacobszoon, Msauritius, in August 1618, after the Dutch East India Company.
Cape Wilberforce
17.2.1803. Flinders. Named after Reformer, William Wilberforce (right).
Bromby Islds
17.2.1803. Flinders. Named after Rev John Bromby of Hull who officiated in the marriage of Flinders to Anne Chappell.
Truant Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. It was away from the other islands.
Wigram Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after an official of the British East India Company.
Cotton Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after a captain stationed in india.
Astell Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after a captain stationed in india.
Pabasoo Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after Pabasoo, an elderly Malay chief who met Flinders there.
Bosanquet Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after a captain stationed in india.
Inglis Isld
19.2.1803. Flinders. Named after a captain stationed in india.
Mallison Isld
24.2.1803. Flinders. Named after a captain stationed in india.
Probable Isld
25.2.1803. Flinders. Not known if it was attached to the mainland.
Wessel Islands / Cape Wessel
6.3.1803. Flinders. Named after the Dutch vessel, Wesel, which was one of three ships despatched under Gerrit Thomarz Pool (Klein) to explore this coast in June 1636. The voyage was fraught with problems and was abandoned after natives attacked and killed crew members. Flinders chose the name because it was marked as 'Wessel's Eylandt' on A Dutch chart he was following. Another suggestion is that these are the coastal features named Kape Wesel (Cape Weasel) and Wesels Eilanden (Weasel Island) by Lenaert Jacobsoon (Mauritius), August 1818.
Rimbija Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Marchanbar Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Low Pt
7.1819. King. descriptive.
Jensons Bay
Gedge Pt
Red Pt
6.3.1803. Flinders. Descriptive of sand colour.
Lagoon Bay
Nip Pt
Hopeful Bay
Sphinx Head
Its shape. It is believed to be named during the 1922 HMAS Geranium survey of the Approaches to Arnhem Bay as the name appears on Chart F058 (of 1925).
Cumberland Strait
28.7.1819. King. Passage sailed by Flinders in the Cumberland, March 1803.
Guluwuru Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Gugari Rip
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Raragala Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Jirgari Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Cunningham Isld
6.3.1803. Flinders. Named after Capt. Cunningham, RN.
Bumaga Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Warawi Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Stevens Isld
Possibly named after HWH Stevens, a well known pastoral figure in old Palmerston in the 1880s. He held pastoral property in the vicinity of Darwin, in the Hundred of Bagot, through which this road runs and north of Howard Springs. He was manager for Messrs Fisher and Lyons who held vast holdings in the Top End. He built homesteads and held land as breeding properties.
Burgunngura Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Brown Strait
28.7.1819. King. Named after Robert Brown, Flinders' botanist.
Pt Dale
6.3.1803. Flinders. Named after a seaman of the Investigator.
Drysdale Isld
Named after William Drysdale who arrived in Darwin in 1897 aged 43. A Stonemason and builder, he built the Church of England, AWA Wireless Station, wharf approaches, many Darwin buildings and also stone work on the Railway Bridges. A prominent citizen for 33 years, Drysdale died in Darwin on 29 April 1930.
Yaraga Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Graham Isld
Probably named after New Zealanders Ernest Albert Graham and his wife Sarah, who arrived at the Daly River in 1912. They spent about seven years on the Daly River growing various crops, some of which Ernest introduced into the district. They later settled in Darwin
Stretton Strait
Believed to be named by Captain Joseph Bradshaw in 1905. The reason for the name being chosen is not known.
Elcho Isld
Named by Captain Francis Cadell in 1867 when he brought the SS Eagle and SS Firefly to the northern NT coast. Cadell placed it on the Admiralty chart at the time and later it was discovered that he had named it after Lord Elcho of Haddingtonshire, his father's local Member of Parliament.
Naningbura Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Refuge Bay
Alger Isld
Crocodile Isld Group
April 1644. Tasman. Saltwater crocodiles first seen here. Tasman's map was marked Cocodriles' Eylandts.
Mooroongga Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Abbott Isld / Shoal
Abbott Island was originally named by PP King in July 1819 as Rocky Island. However, it was not until 1945 that a name appeared on an offical chart then as "Sandy Island". Its current name is believed to have been given by Captain Haultain of the Patrol Vessel Larrakia in the 1930s after Northern Territory Administrator CLA Abbott.
Howard Isld / Channel / Knoll
Named by Captain Carrington or F Cadell in 1868, after Frederick Howard.
Banyan Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Castlereagh Bay
29.7.1819. King. Named after Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Secretary of State for the Foreign Department.
Glyde Inlet / Point
29.9.1883. David Lindsay. Believed to be named after Lavington Glyde, a Minister in the Bray South Australian Government in 1880.
 Yabooma Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Cape Stewart / Point
Maine Isld
Boucaut Bay
Named after Sir James Boucaut (right), South Australian statesman and judge state Premier (1832-1916).
North East Pt
24.3.1818. King. Descriptive.
Entrance Isld
24.3.1818. King. Descriptive.
Gumeradji Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
West Point
24.3.1818. King. Descriptive.
Haul Round Isld
4.8.1819. King. A sand bar blocked the entrance.
Hawkesbury Pt
28.7.1819. King. Named after the British Prime Minister, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Hawkesbury, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (1770-1828) a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1812-1827).
Rolling Bay
24.3.1818. King. Descriptive.
Goomadeer Pt
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Junction Bay
4.8.1819. King. Descriptive of its position.
Braithwaite Pt
26.3.1818. King. Named after the family of a late Admiral R Brathwaite, RN.
Hall Pt
4.8.1819. King. Said to be named in honour of crew member Henry John Rous (1795-1877), son of Viscount Dunwich, Earl of Stradbroke, though the connection is not clear.
Madragaldi Bay
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Cuthbert Pt
26.3.1818. King. No explanation for the choice of the name was given by King.
Giuon Pt
26.3.1818. King. Named after Capt. G H Giuon, RN.
Arla Bay
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Turrier Pt
26.3.1818. King. No explanation for the choice of the name was given by King.
Barklay Pt
28.3.1818. King. No explanation for the choice of the name was given by King.
Anuru Bay
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Ross Pt
29.3.1818. King. Named after Captain Charles Bayne Hodgson Ross of the Royal Navy. Ross served in Jamaica and eventually conveyed Napoleon Bonaparte to his exile on St. Helena.
Goulburn Islands / North Goulburn Isld / South Goulburn Isld
30.3.1818. King. Named after the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Frederick Goulburn, who arrived in Sydney in 1820.
Mullet Bay
7.4.1818. King. Large schools of mullet seen here.
Macquarie Strait
27.3.1818. King. Named after Lachlan Macquarie, Governor New South Wales.
Sims Isld
1.4.1818. King. Named at expedition botanist Cunningham's request after Dr Sims, publisher and editor of the Botanical Magazine.
Bottle Rock
2.4.1818. King. King is believed to have left a bottle here recording his visit, but it has never been found.
White Pt
5.4.1818. King. No explanation for the choice of the name was given by King.
Brogden Pt
10.4.1818. King. Recalls the representative of Parliament for Launceston, Cornwall, which was where the Kings family had their home before coming to Australia. King met his wife and they were married here.
De Courcy Head
10.4.1818. King on 10 April 1818. De Courcy Head appears in King's text "Narrative of a Survey of the Coast of Australia", but not his original journal. It is believed De Courcy Head could be named after the Hon Michael de Courcy, Admiral of the Blue, who escorted Arthur Philip in the 'Sirius' out of the English Channel in 1787 with the First Fleet.
Cape Cockburn
April 1818. King. Named after Sir George Cockburn, Vice Admiral and a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty.
Maloy Bay
Annesley Pt
11.4.1818. King. Named after the ancient Nottinghamshire Annesley family, who held the titles of Viscount Valentia and Baron Mountnorris bestowed by Charles 1.
Mountnorris Bay
11.4.1818. King. Named after Earl Mountnorris. The island and the point were named from the same house - Valentia Island and Point Annesley.
Coombe Pt
11.4.1818. King. King remarked in his journal that "the point and Copeland island are two remarkable objects on entering the bay, both appearing like white cliffed islands." Governor King, King's father was a Cornishman from Launceston, who married a Miss Coombes.
Copeland Isld
11.4.1818. King. King spelt it as Copeland Island in the original journal. His wife's mother, who married Christopher Lethbridge, was Mary Copland, so it is believed the island was named after his wife's family.
Valencia Isld
11.4.1818. King. Derived from the Viscount Valentia and Baron Mountnorris (see Annesley Point, Mountnorris Bay). Although named by King in 1818 as Valentia Island, GW Goyder in his 1885 Pastoral Compilation of the Northern Territory shows the island name as Valencia Island - the name used on successive topographic maps of the NT.
Templer Isld
11.4.1818. King does not mention this island in his original journal or narrative , but he has applied the name in the vicinty of Valentia Island and Copeland Island at a later date. Harriet Lethbridge, who married King, had an elder sister who married James Lethbridge Templer.
Cowlard Isld
Grant Isld
24.3.1818. King. Named after Charles Grant RN, under whom King served on entering the Royal Navy.
McLeur Isld
24.3.1818. King. Named after Lieut. James McLeur, of the Bombay Marines who discovered New Year Island.
New Year Isld
24.3.1818. King. The naming recognised the earlier discovery of the island by Captain John McCluer of the Panther in 1792 in a voyage from Bombay via West Irian (New Guinea). McCluer had discovered the island on New Year's Day.
Oxley Isld
24.3.1818. King. Named after John Oxley, Surveyor General of New South Wales.
Lawson Isld
24.3.1818. King. Named after the Master Attendant of the King's Yard at Malta.
One Tree Isld
12.4.1818. King. Descriptive.
Croker Isld / Cape Croker
12.4.1818. King. Named after John Wilson Croker (1780-1857). British statesman and author, born at Galway, educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated in 1800. Immediately afterwards he was entered at Lincoln's Inn, and in 1802 he was called to the Irish bar. He entered Parliament as member for Downpatrick and continued to sit in parliament throughout his life. He died at St. Albans Bank, Hampton. The island was named Cape Mauritius, 5.5.1623 by Cartstensz, after the Dutch ship of that name which explored this coast in August 1618.
Mission Bay
An Aboriginal mission was established here by the Church Mission Society in the early 20th Century.
Peacock Isld
Palm Bay
14.4.1818. King. In his journal, King reported locating High Point and then Palm Bay on Croker Island. He then refers to a densely wooded island with palm trees in the bay, which is now known as Palm Bay.
Pt David
Bowen Strait
16.4.1818. King. Named after James Bowen, Commissioner of the Royal Navy.
Vashon Head
25.4.1818. King. Named after Admiral James Vashon, RN (1742-1847).
Popham Bay
25.4.1818. King. Named after Sir Home Riggs Popham (1762-1820). British admiral, son of Stephen Popham, consul at Tetuan, and his mother's twenty-first child, entered the navy in 1778. He did much useful survey work, and was the author of the code of signals adopted by the admiralty in 1803 and used for many years.
Cape Don
25.4.1818. King. Named after Sir George Don, Lieut. Governor, Gibraltar.
Dundas Strait
25.4.1818. King. Named after Sir David Dundas, RN.
Gulf of Carpentaria
 April 1644. Tasman. Named after Pieter de Carpentier (right), a councillor the of Dutch East India Company and Governor-General of the Dutch East indies, 1623-1627.
Cobourg Peninsula
1.5.1818. King. Named after the appelation of Cobourg, after Prince Leopold I (1790-1865), the first King of Belgium, fourth son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfel, uncle of Queen Victoria, born at Coburg, entered Russian military service and accompanied the emperor Alexander to Erfurt as a member of his staff. He was required by Napoleon to quit the Russian army and spent years in traveling. He took part in the final war against Napoleon. In May 1816, he married Charlotte, only child of George, Prince Regent, and later George IV. In 1830, he declined the crown of Greece, owing to the refusal of the powers to grant conditions which he considered essential to the welfare of the new kingdom, but was in the following year elected king of the Belgians (04.06.1831). He entered Brussels on 12.07.1831.
Burford Isld
27.4.1818. King. Named after Rev James W Burford, Stratford, Essex, England.
Aiton Bay
27.4.1818. King. Named after William Aiton (1731-1793). Scottish botanist, born near Hamilton. Having been regularly trained to the profession of a gardener, he traveled to London in 1754, and was appointed director of the newly established botanical garden at Kew in 1759, where he remained until his death on 2.02.
Giles Pt
12.4.1818. King. The reason for naming the point thus was not recorded.
Raffles Bay
 16.4.1818. King. Named after Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1783-1826). The founder of Singapore, Raffles (right) was born on board a merchantman commanded by his father Benjamin Raffles, when off Port Morant, Jamaica. He received his early education at a school in Hammersmith, but when only fourteen he obtained temporary work in the secretary's office of the East India Company. In 1800 he was appointed junior clerk on the establishment. In 1805 the East India Company decided to make Penang a regular presidency, and sent out a governor with a large staff, including Stamford Raffles, who was appointed assistant secretary. On his way out to Penang, Raffles began the study of the Malay language, and had mastered its grammar before his arrival. In August 1806 Raffles was appointed acting secretary during the illness of that official, and in 1807 he received the full appointment. After different appointments in Java and Sumatra after the removal of temporary French occupation. When these islands were returned to Holland for reasons of European policy, the Dutch , on their recovery of Java, endeavoured to establish a complete control over the Eastern archipelago and to oust British trade. This design Sir Stamford set himself to baffle, and although he was more frequently censured than praised by his superiors for his efforts, he had already met with no inconsiderable success in minor matters when, by a stroke of genius and unrivalled statecraft, he stopped for all times the Dutch project of a mare clausum by the acquisition and founding of Singapore on the 29th of January 1819. He also played all along a leading role, in cooperation with Sir Joseph banks in the setting up of a zoological museum and garden on the model of the Jardin des plantes at Paris.
High Pt
14.4.1818. King. Descriptive. PP King records on 14 April 1818, the unusual elevation "of this feature of Croker Island." A check of King's chart held by the National Library shows that High Point to which King referred is actually on the mainland, as shown on the 1885 plan signed by Goyder.
Danger Pt
Believed to have been named by surveyor Charles James Tyers on a coastal survey by HMAS Moresby, 1838-9.
Edwards Pt
Port Bremer
Named after James John Gordon Bremer, captain, Tamar. Fort Dundas, on Melville Island, was established in September 1824 by Captain Bremer.
Smith Pt
19.4.1818. King. In his Journal, King writes he named Point Smith "after Smith Esq of Birmingham, off which is a ledge of rocks which break at one mile distance from the shore." No further identiry of the Mr Smith in question is given.
Berkeley Bay
Port Essington
23.4.1818. King. Named after Sir William Essington, (?-1816), a naval officer (captain 1783; vice admiral 1810). He commanded HMS Sceptre, which accompanied the Discovery north from St. Helena near the end of the voyage. Essington was later in command of Triumph at the Battle of Camperdown in October 1797.
Harris Island
23.4.1818. King. Named after Dr John Harris, surgeon, 102nd regiment.
Barrow Bay / Cape
4.1.1803. Flinders. Named after Sir John Barrow, author and explorer. In 1804 Lord Melville appointed Barrow second Secretary of the Admiralty.
Knocker Bay
24.4.1818. King. This bay in Port Essington was named after William Knocker of Dover. This is an example where the original journal provides the origin, although the later published nrrative of King's work mentions the name, but not the origin of it.
West Bay
14.1.1803. Flinders. Descriptive of its position.
Spear Pt
23.4.1818. King. Here King encountered a shower of spears and secured a canoe by way of reprisal. It was mentioned in the original journal as Spear Point, but not in the narrative.
Oyster Pt
14.1.1803. Flinders. Oysters harvested here.
Turtle Pt
August 1818. Jacobszoon. Marked on early dutch charts as Kape Schildpad (Cape Turtle).
Orontes Reef / Isld
The name originates from the Orontes River in Turkey.
Van Diemen Gulf
April 1644. Tasman. Named after Antonio van Diemen, Governor of Batavia.
Greenhill Isld
28.4.1818. King. Named after family of King's friend, Henry Greenhill of East Ham, Essex.
Bluff Pt
28.4.1818. King. Descriptive.
Webb Pt
Sir George Hope Isld
28.4.1818. King. Named after Sir George Hope, Vice admiral and member of the Board of the Admiralty.
Morse Isld
Mogogout Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Red Cliff
Descriptive of its colour.
Endyalgout Isld
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Murgenella Cape
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Beatrice Reef
Named after HMS Beatrice, under the Command of Hutchison. Hutchison in the Beatrice surveyed navigatable extent of the Adelaide River and along the Northern Territory coast.
Victoria Shoal
1860. Named after the Victoria, the vessel sent to search for missing explorers Burke and Wills.
Pt Farewell
Field Isld / Barron Isld
7.5.1818. King. Named after Barron Field, Judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court.
Finke Bay
1860. Stuart. Named after expedition member, William Finke.
Stuart Pt
1860. Stuart. Named after expedition leader, John McDouall Stuart.
Chambers Bay
1860. Stuart. Stuart's official journal states "As this bay has not been named I have taken the opportunity of naming it Chambers Bay in honour of Miss [sic. Elizabeth] Chambers, who kindly presented me with the flag which I have planted this day, and I hope this may be the first sign of the dawn of approaching civilisation".
Ruby Isld
Draytons Ree
26.7.1839. Wickham. Honours naval commander Admiral William Hotham.
Adam Bay
27.7.1839. Wickham. Named after Vice admiral Sir Charles Adam.
Glyde Pt
Named in the 1860s and is believed to be named after Lavington Glyde, who went on to be a Minister in the Bray South Australian Government in 1880.
North West Vernon Isld / South West Vernon Isld
21.5.1818. King. Recalls Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (1757-1847) was an English clergyman who was Bishop of Carlisle, and then Archbishop of York until his death. He was the third son of the George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon (1710-1780), and took the additional name of Harcourt on succeeding to the property of his cousin, the last Earl Harcourt, in 1831.
Soldier Pt
Napier Bay
Oct 1867. Francis Cadell. Named after William Napier, author.
Cape Keith
Named after Keith Stirling, naturalist, son of Sir Lancelot Stirling.
Cobram Bay
Cape Gambier
14.5.1818. King. Named after James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier (1756-1833), EEnglish admiral, born in the Bahamas, where his father was lieutenant-governor, entered the navy in 1767 as a midshipman on board the Yarmouth under the command of his uncle; and, his family interest obtaining for him rapid promotion, he was raised in 1778 to the rank of post-captain. After serving in several actions during the war of the French Revolution, he was appointed governor of Newfoundland. In 1814 he acted in a civil capacity as chief commissioner for negotiating a treaty of peace with the United States.
St Asaph Bay
17.5.1818. King. Named "in compliment to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of the St Asaph diocese in Wales". The English Dictionary of National Biography has John Luxmoore (1766 - 1830) as bishop successively of Bristol (1807), Hereford (1808) and St Asaph (1815). Whilst Bishop of St Asaph, he was also the archdeaconry of St Asaph. It is believed PP King may have known Luxmoore prior to his departure from Britian in 1817.
Luxmore Head
17.5.1818. King. Named "in compliment to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of the St Asaph diocese in Wales", John Luxmoore (1766 - 1830). King at the same time also named the adjacent St Asaph Bay. Although the official spelling for John Luxmoore is a double "oo", it has been decided to leave the spelling with a single "o" as named by King in 1818.
Cape Van Diemen
 Aprl 1644. Tasman. Named after Antonio van Diemen (right), Governor of Batavia.
Shark Bay
Snake Bay
Radford Pt
Named after a former commissariat officer sent from Fort Dundas on Melville Island to Fort Wellington in 1827, where he died in 1829.
Lethbridge Bay
14.5.1818. King. Named after his father-in-law, Christopher Lethbridge, the Deputy Recorder of Launceston in Cornwall.
Benton Bay
Cape Fleeming
Boradi Bay
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Tinganoo Bay
Aboriginal name for the locality.
Melville Isld
21.5.1818. King. Named after Robert Saunders Dundas (1771-1851), 2nd Viscount Melville, who filled various political offices and was first Lord of the Admiralty from 1812 to 1827 and from 1828 t0 1830. His eldest son, Henry Dundas (1801-1876), was a general in the army and played a distinguished part in the second Sikh War.
Named Turtle Island by Lenaert Jacobszoon (Mauritius), August 1618; named Arnhem Island by Van Colster 5.5.1623, after his vessel, Arnhem; named Goeree Island, 12.5.1623 by Cartstensz (Pera) who at this time had separated from Van Colster (Arnhem), in honour of a councillor of the Dutch East India Company; named Van Diemen's Land by Gerrit Thomarz Pool (Klein), 21.6.1636.
Bathurst Island
21.5.1818. King. Named after Henry, 3rd Earl Bathurst (1762-1834). Former Secretary of State for the Colonies and member of parliament for Cirencester 1783, was Lord of the Admiralty from 1783 to 1789, Lord of the Treasury from 1789 to 1791, Commissioner of the Board of Control from 1791 to 1802. He held many other offices. He died 27.07. Named De Speult Eylandt, 5.5.1623 by Van Colster (Arnhem), in honour of Herman van Speult, Governor of Ambon, who had commissioned his voyage of exploration.
Pt Hurd
26.5.1818. King. Named after Capt. Thomas Hurd, Hydrographer of the Admiralty.
Mitchell Pt
Possibly named after A J Mitchell, leading Surveyor in charge of No. 1 Party and second in command of Goyder's Expedition of 1869.
Cape Helvetius
Jan 1803. Baudin. Named after Claude Adrien Helvétius (1724-1794), French philosopher and littérate, born in January at Paris, was appointed at the age of twenty-three, at the Queen's request, Farmer-General, a post of great responsibility and dignity worth 100,000 crowns a year. Thus provided for, he proceeded to enjoy life to the utmost. As he grew older, however, his social successes ceased and he began to dream of more lasting distinctions, stimulated by the success of Maupertuis as a mathematician, of Voltaire as a poet, of Montesquieu as a philosopher.
Gordon Bay
26.5.1818. King. Named after James John Gordon Bremer, captain, Tamar. Fort Dundas, on Melville Island, was established in September 1824 by Captain Bremer.
Rocky Pt
21.5.1818. King. Descriptive.
Deception Bay
21.5.1818. King. At first it seems a suitable place to drop anchor.
Cape Fourcroy
26.6.1803. Freycinet. Believed to have been named by Freycinet on the Geographe. Captian PP King, whilst traversing Bathurst Island on 28 May 1818, records in his journal:- "... which proved to be Captain Baudin's Cape Helvetius. From this point, the coast trends to the southward to Cape Fourcroy. ..." Nicolas Baudin in his "Journal of Post Captain Nicholas Baudin" records passing along this coast. As Baudin does not mention any features , it is believed to have been named by Freycinet. It is believed the cape is named after Antoine Francois de Fourcroy (1755-1809) a member of a French noble family, the son of Jean Michel de Fourcroy, an apothecary. Antoine Fourcroy was a Professor of Chemisty. Baudin is known to have had a copy of one of Fourcroy's text with him on the Geographe. During World War II, Cape Fourcroy had the code name "Croydon".
Apsley Strait
21.5.1818. King. Named after the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Apsley, Baron of Apsley. King named the strait between Melville and Bathurst Islands after a family name of the third Earl of Bathurst who was the Secretary of Colonies and after whom Bathurst Island was named. The first Earl had married the daughter of Sir Peter Apsley.
Beagle Gulf
JNamed after JL Stoke's expedition vessel, HMS Beagle, which passed through the area in January 1838. The name first appeared on an Admiralty Chart in 1956.
Clarence Strait
30.5.1818. King. Named after Prince Lionel of Antwerp (1765-1837), Duke of Clarence, 3rd son of King Edward III. King of England 1830, Duke of Clarence, born third son of George III at Buckingham Palace, became a midshipman in 1779 and took part in many actions. He was made Duke of Clarence in 1789. On the death of the Duke of York in 1827, he became heir to the throne and was appointed lord high admiral. The death of George IV on 28.06.1830 placed him on the throne. He was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria. Named Het Gat de Goede Hoop (The Strait of Good Hope), 5.5.1623, by Jan Carstenszoon and fellow explorer Van Colster, who sailed two ships, the Arnhem and Pera, through this strait on 5th May 1623.
Gunn Pt
Believed to be named after Lieut. Gordon S Gunn an officer on HMS Flying Fish which in 1886, under the command of Capt JP Maclear, RN, charted the Clarence Strait. Gunn Pt first appears on Admiralty Chart 1905. During the World War 2 defence of Darwin, Gunn Point had the code name "Cannon".
Shoal Bay
5.9.1839. Wickham. The Shoal Bay locality takes its name from the feature named by Captains Wickham and Stokes on HMS Beagle in 1839, who anchored in Shoal Bay and named it before going on to discover Emery Point and Port Darwin. The bay was named because of its shallowness.
Tree Pt
3.9.1819. King. "on account of a remarkable tree standing above the bushes near its extremity (the point) was called "Tree Point."
Hope Inlet
8.9.1839. Wickham. Stokes, in his Discoveries in Australia, writes: Early in the morning Mr Forsyth and myself started to explore the opening. We soon discovered that it was nothing more than a shallow creek at low water ... We gave it the name of Hope Inlet, to commemorate the feelings it excited on its first discovery. "
Lee Point
27.7.1839. Wickham. The point in the lee of Port Darwin. The name appears on Goyders 1869 Plan of Port Darwin.
Port Darwin
9.10.1839. Wickham. A new, fine-grained sandstone was found there. The discovery led explorers Wickham and Stokes to remember his old friend, Charles Darwin, with whom he had sailed aboard HMS Beagle some years earlier.
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