mˈæθjuː flˈɪndɚz lˈændᵻd nˌɪɹ ðə mˈaʊθ ʌvðə klˈæɹəns ɹˈɪvɚɹ ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn, nˈeɪmɪŋ ɪt ʃˈoʊl bˈeɪ, bˌʌt dɪsmˈɪst ðɪ ˈɛɹiə æz "dɪzˈɜːvɪŋ ʌv nˈoʊmˌoːɹ ðˌænə sˈuːpɚfˈɪʃəl ɛɡzˌæmᵻnˈeɪʃən".
Matthew Flinders landed near the mouth of the Clarence River in 1799, naming it Shoal Bay, but dismissed the area as "deserving of no more than a superficial examination".