Bass, George (1771-1803?), a British naval surgeon, won fame for his exploration of the eastern coast of Australia. In 1795 and 1796, Bass and Matthew Flinders explored the coastline south of Sydney, Australia, in the tiny boat Tom Thumb. In 1797 and 1798, Bass traveled in a whaleboat from Sydney to Western Port on the southern coast of Australia. He believed that a strait separated Tasmania from the mainland. In 1798 and 1799, Bass and Flinders proved the existence of a strait by sailing around Tasmania. Flinders named the strait after Bass.