Charles X medal for the departure of the first voyage of the ship ASTROLABE

ASTROLABE (Duperrey’s old ship, COQUILLE, was renamed in honour of La Pérouse), under the command of Dumont d’Urville, was instructed to explore the principal island groups in the South Pacific, completing the work of the Duperrey voyage, on which the commander had been a naturalist.

The expedition sailed via the Cape of Good Hope, through Bass Strait, stopped at Port Philip and arrived at Sydney on 1 December 1828. They later sailed via the northwest coast of Australia to Tasmania, from where they proceeded to Vanikoro in search of traces of La Pérouse.