Mr Cunningham visits Sim’s Island again

26th August 1820

On this day, 26th August 1820, Allan Cunningham lands on an island, later to be named as Sim’s Island, at his request, when he accompanied Phillip Parker King on his third survey of the Australian coast.

Robert Heward wrote:

Sim’s Island was also visited again 1; of the results of his trip on shore, Mr Cunningham observes: “We landed at Sansom’s head, and having a seaman to assist me, I employed him in digging up a few bulbs of Crinum angustifolium, which is generally but thinly scattered over the different parts of the island, whilst I ranged over the rocks in pursuit of other botanical subjects. ((Source: Robert Heward’s Biographical Sketch of Allan Cunningham, page 258

ROBERT HEWARD’S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ALLAN CUNNINGHAM
Crinum angustifolium
Image captured from Australia National Botanic Gardens
  1. Sims Island is a very small island, situated very near Goulburn Island within Australia’s Northern Territory’s Arnhem Land; it is east of Darwin[↩]