Pierre Bernard Milius
last commander of the Baudin Expedition : the journal 1800 – 1804
Description:... Pierre Bernard Milius owes his fame to the Nicolas Baudin
expedition of 1800–1804. On 19 October
1800, Baudin and his large group of scientists left Le Havre in two ships, the Géographe
and the Naturaliste to survey the coast of New Holland and the southern
part of New Guinea and conduct scientific investigations as well as collect
living and preserved specimens of plants and animals. Milius was promoted to
commander of the Géographe following the death of Baudin.
The journal of Pierre Bernard Milius is a rare opportunity
to bring to life an important but lesser-known chapter in the history of the
discovery and exploration of Australia.
Milius
first touched land in Australia in Geographe Bay in the south-west, and then in
the Swan River district where he took a longboat ashore and was wrecked on
Cottesloe Beach. Here he repaired his boat using local resources such as ‘stringy
bark for caulking’ and resin and gum for sealing the seams. At Cottesloe,
Milius noted children’s footprints in the sand and shell-fish debris that
pointed to the presence of Aboriginal people.
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