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The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

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Ink painting shows two tall ships at sea
The Navigators: Meeting of the expeditions

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  3–4


Have you ever been surprised to see someone you know in a place far from home?

Rival explorers, Nicolas Baudin and Matthew Flinders, are sailing in opposite directions along the coast of 'New Holland'. Imagine their surprise when they spot each other's ship. Watch this clip to find out what happens when they meet at sea.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever been in competition with someone? How does it feel to hear this person talk about their success? Is it sometimes difficult to be polite or modest when you talk about your own success? Flinders and Baudin were in competition. What might they say to each other when they meet?
  2. 2.Notice what happens when another ship is first sighted from a distance. How do the sailors react? What do they do next? How does the situation change when they know where the other ship comes from?
  3. 3.Find 'Encounter Bay' on a map of South Australia. Can you suggest why Flinders chose this name? (Hint: find the meaning of 'encounter'.) The clip shows many other places named by Baudin at this time such as 'Terre Napoleon' and 'Baie des Mornes'. Can you find these places on a modern map? Why do you think this is the case? Can you find any other place names around Encounter Bay and Kangaroo Island that might be related to Baudin's and Flinders's voyage.
  4. 4.Think about the conversation between the two captains on board Baudin's ship? Each explorer has different priorities (things they think are most important). List these priorities. As expedition leaders why might they think one thing is more important than another? Draw a cartoon story or write a script to dramatise the captains' conversation.

Date of broadcast: 23 Feb 2010


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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