This article examines naval surveying voyages undertaken between 1815 and 1860 by Phillip Parker King, Francis Price Blackwood, Owen Stanley and Henry Mangles Denham to discuss the improvements to the navigation of the Inner and Outer shipping routes along the Great Barrier Reef. The Inner Route lay between Australia’s east coast and the western edge of the reefs while the Outer Route was situated in open sea beyond the eastern edge of the reefs. These were some of the most dangerous waters for ships in the Pacific off Australia’s east coast. The article analyses the improvements to both routes resulting from the surveying of the naval commanders referred to above; it explains why the choice between the Inner and Outer routes was difficult to make; and it shows that the Outer Route was increasingly favoured by merchant vessels.

本文考察了Phillip Parker King，Francis Price Blackwood，Owen Stanley和Henry Mangles Denham在1815年至1860年之间进行的海军测量航行，以讨论沿大堡礁航行的内外航线的改进。内部路线位于澳大利亚东海岸和礁石的西边缘之间，而外部路线则位于礁石东边缘之外的公海中。这些是澳大利亚东海岸太平洋上的船舶最危险的水域。本文分析了上述对海军指挥官的勘测对两条路线的改进；它解释了为什么很难在内部和外部路线之间做出选择；这表明外航线越来越受到商船的青睐。