Places He Discovered and Visited
These are some of Baudin's discoveries:
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Cape Leeuwin May 27th 1801 |
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Cape Naturalist and Geographe Bay 30th May - June 8th 1801 |
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Shark Bay June 27th - July 8th 1801 |
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Van Diemen's Land November 1801 |
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D'Etrecasteaux Island February 7th 1802 |
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Maria Island February 18th-27th 1802 |
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Between Cape Northumerland and Encounter Bay he named Rivoli Bay, Guichen Bay , Cape Dombey ,Cape Jaffa and Lacepede Bay- April 1802 |
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Kangaroo Island 1802 (Ile Decres) |
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Cape Elizabeth April 18th 1802 |
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Cape Adieu May 8th 1802 |
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Casuarina Island, Cape Borda and Vivonne Bay ( Places in Kangaroo Island) January2nd- 10th 1803 |
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Streaky Bay and Denial Bay 1803 |
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Murat Bay and Cape Thevenard February 1st-11th 1803 |
Introduction
In 1754 Nicolas Baudin was born in St. Martin on the Ile-de-Re off the west coast of France. In 1774 he joined the navy. He was a French explorer who explored the coast of Australia in 1800. He met with Matthew Flinders a couple of times on the Australian coast. He occasionally met aboriginals. He brought animals onto the ship and put them in the crews cabins which meant the crew had to sleep out side! He also went other voyages. He died at Mauritius on September the 16th 1803
French Flag
Meeting with Flinders
Flinders knew that Baudin left for his expedition 9 month after Baudin. Baudin left for his voyage in October 1800. Flinders left for his voyage in July 1801. This was one of things that Baudin did not know that Flinders knew.
He met Flinders on April the 8th 1801 in Encounter Bay on the Le Geographe.
When Flinders, on board the Investigator, spotted Baudin's ship the Le Geographe he cleared for military action. In response, Baudin masted a French ensign and then put up an English flag to say he was friendly. With peaceful intentions clarified the two ships parked together. Flinders and Robert Brown, the Investigator scientist ( he knew a little French), then rowed over to the Le Geographe. The two explorers met that night on board the ship but they could not communicate very well.
Then he met Mathew Flinders again later at Port Jackson (Sydney).
Occupation
These were some of Baudin's jobs.
He was a cabin boy at the age of 15.
When he was 20 he joined the French Navy as a Naval Cadet. In 1778 he became a Lieutenant in the French Navy. In the 1790's Baudin went on two scientific voyages to collect plants, animals and mineral samples. The first trip was to the Indian Ocean and the other one was to the West Indies.
In 1798 Baudin put a plan to the French Marine Minister to explore the coast of New Holland (Australia). He was given two ships for his big voyage - Le Geographe and Naturaliste and left in 1800.
The Le Geographe
With his two ships the Naturaliste and Le Geographe he was given 22 scientists and artists. He also had silk ribbons, silver braid, pins and needles, fish hooks and mirrors. These were for presents and to exchange for other goods with the native people they might meet. Baudin got a passport from the British Government so that he would be safe if he met a British ship because England and France were at war. The Le Geographe and Naturaliste left from Le Havre, France on October 19th, 1800. They sailed to Mauritius and on April 25th, 1801 left for the west coast of Australia arriving at Cape Leeuwin at the end of May 1801.
Nicolas Baudin
By Ian R. ©