Between his return to England in October 1810 and his death in July 1814, Flinders devoted his efforts towards preparing his charts for publication and writing an accompanying narrative. He managed to do this in spite of deteriorating health and episodes of severe pain. His book, A Voyage to Terra Australis, with its accompanying atlas – the summary of his life’s work – was published on 18 July 1814. Flinders died the next day.
Original copies of the Atlas to Flinders’ Voyage to Terra Australis are held at the Mitchell Library in Sydney as a portfolio that accompanied the book and included engravings of 16 charts, four plates of views and ten plates of Australian flora. Below is a stature of Matthew Flinders outside of the Mitchell Library, accompanied by his ever faithful Trim.
What Flinders achieved
First voyage to Australia, aged 21