John Murray (Australian explorer)

John Murray (* 1775, † 1807) was a British lieutenant commander and explorer of Australia.

John Murray was born most likely in Edinburgh and began his seafaring career in 1789. He worked as a senior cadet at the Polyphemus from October 1794 until May 1797. On the Apollo, he worked in 1797 May to December as helmsman. As second captain and pilot Murray worked on the Blazer from January to July in 1798. From October 1798 to July 1800 he was helmsman of the Porpoise. Later in 1800 John Murray completed the examination for lieutenant commander. Counter- November 1800 he arrived in New South Wales by the Porpoise. He accompanied James Grant in 1801 as helmsman on the Lady Nelson with the order, The Western Port Bay to explore Jervis Bay and the Hunter River. On his return to Sydney Grant resigned his command. In September, Governor King appointed Murray to captain lieutenant and commander of the Lady Nelson.

With the instruction to explore the southern coast of Victoria, he discovered on February 14, 1802 the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. At the point where it was anchored, the area was quarantined.

An excerpt from his diary ( in English):

Sunday ... 14 February at Grant 's Point bore E by N distant 10 miles and Cape Shanks NW distant seven miles; kept running down the land. am At half -past 10 South Head of the new Harbour or Port N by E 8 miles distant; by noon the Iceland at entrance of harbor bore north half a mile distant. At this time we had a view of this part of the spacious harbor, its entrance is wide enough to work in any vessel, but, fathoms in 10. Bar stretches Itself a good way across, and, with a strong tide out and wind in, the ripple is examined as to cause a stranger to suspect rock or shoals ahead. We Carried in with us water from 14 to 16 fathoms. Kept standing up the port with all sail set.

Monday, 15 February pm Working up, the port with a very strong ebb against us, we HOWEVER Gained ground. The southern shore of this noble harbor is bold highland in general and not clothed as all the land at Western Port is thick with brush but with stout trees of various kinds and in some places if nothing short, in beauty and appearance, of Greenwich Park. Away to the eastward at the distance of 20 miles the land is mountainous, In Particular there is one very high mountain Which in the mean time I named Arthur 's Seat ... to the NE by N, about 5 miles from the south shore lies a cluster of small rocky islands and all round them a shoal of sand; plenty of swans and pelicans were found on them When the boat down which, from Which I named them Swan Isles. To the NE by E there is an opening, and from our masthead no country Could be seen in it. The northern shores are low with a sandy beach all along. At half -past 3 pm we got to anchor in a sandy cove in 7 fathoms water, bottom fine sand - Swan Isles bearing NE by N distance 5 miles, a bold rocky point Which I named Point Paterson ESE 1 ½ miles, a long sandy point named Point Palmer west, 1 ½ miles, and the nearest point of the shore SW ½ of a mile distant ...

During one month, he explored the bay and named strip of land as Arthur's Seat, the Swan Island and the Point Patterson. On March 8, he took Port Phillip for the British Crown in possession. He named the area first as "Port King", as thanks to the Governor King of New South Wales. This, in turn, named Port King into "Port Phillip " in memory of his predecessor Arthur Phillip.

On July 22, 1802 Murray made out of Matthew Flinders set off to sail around Australia on the Lady Nelson under his command. The Lady Nelson was quite old and needed a caulking. On October 17, Murray was commissioned by Flinders to return to Sydney when she took off from the Cumberland Islands.

In April 1803 Governor King received a letter from the Navy Board. Murray was prohibited in command, and he received no commission because he did not have six years of experience as stated by him. He also made ​​false statements in England. King withdrew Murray dishonorable command of the Lady Nelson. Murray returned to the Glatton to England in May 1803. In the years 1804, 1805 and 1807, he created maps of coastlines. His exact date of death is not known. The little ship The Herring was conducted under the command of Lieutenant John Murray in November 1814 ( WL Clowes, The Royal Navy, Vol V, p. 555 ). However, it should be noted that John Murray was a common name at the time.

Swell

  • Vivienne Parsons: John Murray. In: Douglas Pike ( ed.) Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria 1966 ff (English)
  • Serle, Percival (1949 ). " Murray, John". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
  • Seafarer
  • Discoverer (18th century)
  • Australia researchers
  • Briton
  • Born in 1775
  • Died in 1807
  • Man
Hunter River (New South Wales) Philip Gidley King Cumberland Islands (Queensland)
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