himself had met with a mishap in these waters, and Flinders afterwards
was totally wrecked on the inner edge of the Great Barrier Reef.
Consequently, in agreeing to Flinders' proposal, King was conferring a
real benefit upon the whole of the shipping community. It was also
decided that in the event of Flinders' progress being retarded, or if he
were unable to examine the Gulf of Carpentaria, he should either explore
Torres Strait or return and survey Fiji. Eventually, however, it was
found possible for him to carry out the exploration of the Gulf.

Mr. Westall, landscape painter, with Mr. Robert Brown, botanist, and
other scientists, sailed in the Investigator. Bungaree, the Rose Bay
native who had accompanied Flinders on his voyage in the Norfolk to
Hervey Bay also went with him as well as a Sydney black fellow named
Nanbury. Murray was given a code of signals for the Lady Nelson and was
directed by Flinders, in case of the ships being separated, to repair to
Hervey Bay, which he was to enter by a passage between Sandy Cape and
Breaksea Spit said to have been found by South Sea whalers.

The two ships left Sydney together on July 22nd, 1802, but the Lady
Nelson was soon in difficulties, and was left astern at Port Stephens.
Shortly afterwards the Investigator lay to, to await her coming. On
Saturday 24th--writes Flinders, "our little consort being out of sight we
stood an hour to the southward, and not seeing her in that direction bore
away along the coast." Meanwhile on the afternoon of July 26th, Moreton
Island at the entrance of Moreton Bay was passed, and on Wednesday the
28th, Flinders reached Sandy Cape where he immediately began to seek for
a passage into Hervey Bay. One was found but proved too shallow for the
Investigator to pass through, so the ship was brought to two miles from
the Spit.