Matthew Flinders

A wildly funny and meticulously researched reexamination of the life of explorer Matthew Flinders, as Shaun Micallef charts the chaos, comedy and contradictions behind the founding of Australia.

Who was Matthew Flinders? A pioneer who gave Australia its name but chose to name nothing after himself. A dreamer obsessed with Robinson Crusoe who wound up imprisoned on an island for six years. A leader who captained a stout and loyal crew but preferred spending time with his cat. An explorer who charted a continent but had a side-hustle collecting human skulls. A hero who wasn’t all that heroic.

The story of Matthew Flinders, like the story of Colonial Australia, is one of tragic lows and high comedy, of embarrassment, shame and humiliation.

Enter Shaun Micallef to tell this tale as it has never been told (but probably should have): with both meticulous research and an overweening sense of the ridiculous. As he charts Flinders’ chaotic route around Australia and beyond, Micallef asks bigger questions about who we are as a country and what it means to hold onto a legacy in an ever-changing-its-mind world.

Historically accurate and surprisingly enlightening, this book is a fresh and funny exploration of a foundational Australia story.