Bungaree [Bongaree] became the first known indigenous person to circumnavigate Australia and contribute to the mapping of the Australian coastline.

Bungaree arrived in Sydney in the 1790s with the remnants of his Garigal people, displaced as conflict intensified along the Hawkesbury River between Aboriginal groups and European settlers. In the fledgling colony, he quickly distinguished himself. By 1798, he had joined a 60-day return voyage to Norfolk Island aboard HMS Reliance, where he first encountered the young English naval lieutenant Matthew Flinders.

Flinders was greatly impressed by Bungaree’s warmth, keen perception, and quiet courage. The following year, he invited him to accompany a coastal survey aboard the 25-ton sloop Norfolk, a voyage that brought them to the shores of Bribie Island and Hervey Bay.

A gifted diplomat, Bungaree possessed an extraordinary ability to communicate across language and cultural divides. He could swiftly interpret the intentions of the coastal Aboriginal groups they encountered, helping to ease tensions and foster understanding. Recognising his invaluable skills, Flinders again enlisted Bungaree between 1802 and 1803 on the voyage of HMS Investigator, the expedition that would achieve the first circumnavigation of the continent to be known as Australia. It was during this remarkable journey that vast stretches of the continent’s previously uncharted coastline were carefully mapped.

Compiled by Lynne Hooper from public domain sources.