King Expedition of 1817

Phillip Parker King's first exploring and surveying expedition departed Sydney on 22 December 1817 on board the cutter HMS Mermaid.

On board were King, his two master's mates Frederick Bedwell and John Septimus Roe, the botanist Allan Cunningham, 12 seamen, 2 boys and the native Bungaree.

Continuing north-east along the coast, the Mermaid eventually passed the northernmost tip of Arnhem Land, reaching a point on Cobourg Peninsula that King named Port Essington.

King and a number of the crew became dangerously ill shortly after leaving Timor, this being attributed to the food they had eaten there.

During the southern leg of the journey the boat encountered extremely rough weather, and on 24 July a crew member died from his illness.