Why did George Bass come to Australia?

George Bass never journeyed around Australia.

Sometimes in conjection with his friend Matthew Flinders, Bass mostly explored the coastline south of Sydney between 1795 and 1797.

This culminated in a voyage in which he sailed under the south coast of Australia as far as Westernport which suggested a strait existed between New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania.)

This was proved beyond doubt when he again teamed up with Matthew Flinders in 1798 and they circumnavigated Tasmania. The strait was then named for Bass.

It was Matthew Flinders who went onto circumnavigate Australia between 1801 and 1803. Bass had no part in that voyage.