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EXHIBITIONS

Matthew Flinders

Fearless in life, love and tragedy

13 January - 14 February 2025

Presented by Flinders University in partnership with the History Trust of South Australia 

Curated by FUMA Director Fiona Salmon and History Trust of South Australia Senior Curator Tony Kanellos with research undertaken by Flinders University Honorary Associate Professor Gillian Dooley.

More information 

Related events 

Media release 

Level One, Flinders University City Campus, Festival Plaza

Image: Portrait of Matthew Flinders c.1800, at the age of 26, miniature by an unknown artist. Collection of the State Library of NSW (MIN52)

EXHIBITIONS

Matthew Flinders

Fearless in life, love and tragedy  

13 January – 14 February 2025 

Level One, Flinders University City Campus, Festival Plaza

Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm
Saturday 11am – 4pm
Closed Sundays and public holidays

FREE ENTRY

 

Explore the remarkable life and legacy of renowned explorer Matthew Flinders in this captivating exhibition at Flinders University City Campus. At its heart is Flinders’ original coffin plate, shown in Australia for the first time.

Unearthed during a 2019 archaeological dig at London’s Euston Station, the lead coffin plate—remarkably preserved—helped identify Flinders’ long-lost grave among 40,000 burials.

Reburied in Donington, Lincolnshire, in 2024 with a replica plate, it was gifted to the History Trust of South Australia and accepted on our behalf by the Governor of South Australia, Frances Adamson AC, by Flinders’ descendants, in recognition of his significant contribution to the state’s colonial history.  The plate now resides in South Australia’s State History Collection.

Alongside the coffin plate are rare artefacts from the Flinders University Special Collections including Flinders’ ebony pocket compass, brass buttons from his naval jacket, and a first edition of A Voyage to Terra Australis, his monumental final publication featuring maps and illustrations.

Other treasures include a letter to his wife, a coral necklace gifted to his sister and a needlework sampler crafted by his great-niece Susanna Pilgrim aboard the Bolivar whilst en-route to Adelaide 175 years ago. 

 

Donate to the Matthew Flinders Scholarship Fund here 

Donate to support the conservation and care of Flinders University Special Collections here

Related events

Other programs and exhibitions you may also be interested in. 

TALKS & TOURS

Exhibition Floor Talk

Join FUMA Director and exhibition co-curator Fiona Salmon and Honorary Associate Professor Gillian Dooley, a Matthew Flinders expert, to learn more about artefacts on display and the life and legacy of the University’s namesake.  

Thursday 23 January 2025
12 — 1pm

Thursday 30 January 2025
12 — 1pm

Saturday 8 February 2025
2 — 3pm

Thursday 13 February 2025
12 — 1pm

RSVP


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Flinders University Museum of Art (FUMA) is generously supported by people who share the belief that art matters.

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Flinders University Museum of Art
Flinders University I Sturt Road I Bedford Park SA 5042

Located ground floor Social Sciences North building, Humanities Road adjacent carpark 5

Telephone | +61 (08) 8201 2695
Email | museum@flinders.edu.au

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Monday to Friday | 10am - 5pm or by appointment
Thursdays | Until 7pm
Closed weekends and public holidays

FREE ENTRY

Flinders University Museum of Art is wheelchair accessible, please contact us for further information.

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