William Westall was the landscape artist on Matthew Flinders' expedition of 1801-1803. His idyllic scene on Kangaroo Island shows emus, kangaroos and sea lions and indicates the ruggedness of the island's shores.

William Westall was still a student at the British Royal Academy when he was selected as the landscape artist for Matthew Flinders' epic voyage of discovery 1801-1803 to explore New Holland's 'unknown coast'. At 19 years of age, he was the youngest member of the scientific staff on the Investigator.

Westall was expected to paint landscapes and figures that would clearly delineate the continent and its inhabitants. He was also responsible for recording coastal profiles that would benefit later navigators. Westall's output for the southern Australian leg of the voyage was not as rich as might be expected for an artist on the 'unknown coast'. It has been said that he was not inspired by the drab Australian bush, and this can be seen in his sketches, which he frequently merged to produce something more picturesque. He certainly produced a greater body of work on the eastern and northern coasts.

Kangaroo Island was welcome relief for the crew and scientists of the Investigator, after the long weeks of sailing along the fairly arid coast of the continent. Several days were spent on the island, and the considerable numbers and 'extraordinary tameness of the kanguroos' provided a very welcome supply of fresh meat. On 22 March 1802 Flinders recorded in his journal: 'In gratitude for so seasonable a supply, I named this southern land KANGUROO ISLAND'.

When Flinders returned to England aboard the Porpoise, Westall returned with him, and some of his work was damaged in a wreck off the coast of Queensland. Westall decided to continue his return to England via China, while his drawings were taken on to England. He returned to England in 1805 and painted nine pictures for reproduction in Flinders' Voyage to Terra Australis (1814).

Brown, Anthony J. Ill-starred captains: Flinders and Baudin, Hindmarsh, S. Aust.: Crawford House Publishing, 2000

Findlay, Elisabeth. Arcadian Quest: William Westall's Australian Sketches, National Library of Australia, Canberra, 1998

Flinders, Matthew. A voyage to Terra Australis, Australiana facsimile editions; no. 37. Reprint of 1814 ed, Adelaide: Libraries Board of South Australia, 1966

Flinders, Matthew. Terra Australis: Matthew Flinders' great adventures in the circumnavigation of Australia, Melbourne: Text Publishing, 2000

Westall, William. Drawings by William Westall, landscape artist on board HMS Investigator..., Royal Commonwealth Society, London, 1962

Encounter 1802-2002 (State Library of South Australia)

The Flinders Papers [National Maritime Museum] 

The Navigators (ABC.net)