The rock, named Frenchman's Rock, was inscribed by the members of Nicolas Baudin's crew on the ship Le Geographe in 1803 on their expedition to map the coast of New Holland (now Australia).
They stopped at the bay to collect meat and fresh water. Baudin and his crew stayed for 3 weeks and during that time, he mapped the island and collected many flora and fauna specimens.
Baudin and his men announced their arrival to the island by inscribing the rock. The inscription reads: "Expedition de decourverte par le commandant Baudin sur le Geographe 1803". The English translation is "Expedition of discovery by Captain Baudin in the Geographe 1803".
