1998 50c Bicentenary of Bass & Flinders Bass Strait and Tasmania PNC

The circumnavigation of Van Diemen’s Land (later named Tasmania) by George Bass and Matthew Flinders begun in October 1798 and completed in January 1799, proved the existence of Bass Strait and finally established that Tasmania was an island. Bass and Flinders arrived in NSW in September 1795. While exploring the southern coast of Australia to Westernport, Bass became convinced that a strait existed to the south of the continent. Governor Hunter named it Bass Strait in his honour and requested that he and Flinders undertake an exploratory trip to ascertain if this was the case.