Just over two hundred years ago, fate ordained that two of the eighteenth century’s greatest explorers from two of that century’s greatest maritime nations would come face to face. Those explorers were Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin and they met, so the historys books tell us, at precisely 4pm on April 8th, 1802. The meeting was brief, polite and amicable. But history books are written by Victors – not Matthews or Nicolases. And since neither Flinders or Baudin even knew anyone called Victor*, why should we believe his version of the story? Which is why we’re presenting the true** story behind the famous Encounter in 1802 …

* Though Flinders’ did own a lawn mower of that name
** In this context ‘true’ is defined as being ‘made up, completely fabricated – a falsehood or lie