Flinders had concluded that the Terra Australis as hypothesized by Aristotle and Ptolemy did not exist, so he wanted the name applied to what he saw as the next best thing: "Australia".
Flinders havde konkluderet at Terra Australis, som Aristoteles og Ptolemæus havde forestillet sig, ikke eksisterede, så han øskede at bruge navnet til, hvad han anså som den næstbedste ting "Australien".