Perhaps George Bass never imagined his name would echo through the ages here. We stand today at a place forever linked to his spirit of exploration and discovery. This is a memorial to George Bass and those early explorers who shaped the map of Australia.
George Bass was more than a British naval surgeon. He was an explorer driven by curiosity and a thirst for the unknown. Born in England in 1771 he arrived in Sydney in 1795 aboard the HMS Reliance.
Bass didn’t waste any time getting acquainted with his new surroundings. He brought a small boat named Tom Thumb. With Matthew Flinders and William Martin he sailed out of Port Jackson. They ventured into Botany Bay and explored the Georges River. Their reports led to the settlement of Banks’ Town.
Then they built a bigger boat, the Tom Thumb II. They journeyed down the coast to Lake Illawarra that they called Tom Thumb Lagoon. They even explored Port Hacking.
But George Bass’s most daring voyage came in 1797. He set out in an open whaleboat with a crew of six without Flinders. They aimed for Cape Howe. Bass sailed along the Gippsland coast to Western Port. This voyage brought him close to the future site of Melbourne.
Bass suspected a strait separated the mainland from Van Diemen’s Land. His observations of the tides and swells at Wilson’s Promontory supported his theory.
In 1798 Bass and Flinders circumnavigated Van Diemen’s Land in the sloop Norfolk. Bass explored the Derwent River where Hobart was later founded. Flinders honored his friend by recommending the passage be named Bass Strait.
Bass was also a naturalist. He sent botanical discoveries to Sir Joseph Banks in London. He became an honorary member of the Society for Promoting Natural History. Bass even described the wombat.
In 1800 George Bass married Elizabeth Waterhouse. But his exploring days weren’t over. He set sail again in 1801 never to return.
Bass Strait was recorded simply. Modesty prevented him from saying I discovered this or named it.
What happened to George Bass remains a mystery. He sailed on the Venus in 1803 intending to reach Tahiti and possibly Chile. He aimed to buy provisions for Sydney. Some suspect he planned to engage in illegal trade in Chile. Months passed with no news. Bass was presumed lost at sea.
Speculation about his fate abounds. One story says the Spanish captured him in Chile and sent him to silver mines. Another tale claims he attempted forced trade and was captured. Yet searches of Spanish and Peruvian archives have found no mention of him.
Today George Bass is remembered through place names and memorials like this one. There’s the Bass Highway in Tasmania and Victoria. Also Bass Hill Bass Point and the town of Bass. Even a French Polynesian island bears his name.
Here at the George Bass Expedition Memorial we honor a man of science courage and insatiable curiosity. His explorations opened up new frontiers and helped shape the Australia we know today. Take a moment to reflect on his achievements and the enduring legacy of George Bass.