Matthew Flinders is the man who gave Australia its name. A Voyage to Terra Australis, first published in two volumes in 1814, is his masterwork in which he vividly describes his voyages to map the great island continent between 1796 and 1803. Brilliantly edited and introduced by Tim Flannery, this version includes the journey Flinders made with George Bass to prove that Tasmania is an island, his herculean voyage in the Investigator circumnavigating Australia and his account of the wreck of the Porpoise. Flinders writes about his meetings with Aborigines, his encounters with French explorers and Macassan fishing fleets, and about the unforgettable wilderness of Australia.
Author
Tim Flannery is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers. An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year. He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year. He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai). In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change. Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
