Colonial Settlement, Published 12 June 2026
Did you know one of Queensland's most famous place names may exist because of a 250-year-old publishing error?
As Lieutenant James Cook sailed north along the Queensland coast aboard the Endeavour in May 1770, he named a stretch of water Morton's Bay in honour of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, President of the Royal Society and a supporter of the voyage.
But when Cook's journals were later published in England, something curious happened. The name "Morton" appeared in print as "Moreton". Whether through a transcription, editing or printing error, the altered spelling remained - and eventually became the official name we know today.
There's another twist to the story.
Cook never actually entered the bay that now bears the name. Viewing the coast from offshore, he could only see fragments of the coastline and islands. The vast network of waterways hidden behind what we now know as Moreton Island remained largely unknown to him.
It wasn't until explorer Matthew Flinders sailed into the bay in 1799 that Europeans gained a much clearer understanding of its true size and geography.
So every time you hear the name Moreton Bay, you're hearing the legacy of a mistake that became permanent - a small error in print that left a lasting mark on Queensland history.
Sometimes history isn't changed by great battles or grand discoveries... sometimes it's changed by a single letter.
Copyright and reuse
We encourage the sharing of history and information, and we support the responsible reuse of our original content.
Written articles. Unless a page says otherwise, our original written content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share, adapt and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you:
- credit “The Dave & Malou Channel” as the source and, where practical, link to the original page;
- link to the licence; and
- indicate any changes you made, without suggesting that we endorse you or your use.
Photographs and other images. Unless a credit or caption says otherwise, photographs and other images on this website, including illustrations, are available under CC BY 4.0 on the same conditions as our written articles. This covers images we created and images supplied by individuals, archives, libraries and families who have given permission for this use. Please check the credit and caption before you reuse an image, because some are not covered:
- Images marked “© The Dave & Malou Channel” must not be reproduced, reused or distributed without our prior written permission.
- For images credited to another person or organisation that are marked © or otherwise reserve their rights, please contact us before reuse so we can help clarify the copyright status and any permission you need. We cannot give permission on behalf of another copyright owner.
- Images labelled “Public Domain” may be used without permission, subject to any legal restrictions and the accuracy of that label.
Video, audio and third-party material. Video and audio are not covered by the licence unless a page says so. Copyright in material supplied by others, such as quotations, extracts and recordings, stays with its owner and is not covered unless we say so. Please contact us before reusing it.
Our name and logo. The name “The Dave & Malou Channel”, our logo and the look of the website are not covered by the licence. Please do not use them in a way that suggests we are connected with, or endorse, you.
Fair dealing. Nothing in our Website Terms limits your right to use material for private study, research, criticism, review, news reporting, or parody and satire, as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
Top