Australian History: EUROPEAN EXPLORATION
During 1200-1500, world activity centered around Europe and it surrounding land mass. Europeans, at the time, didn’t know that Australia existed; they imagined that in the southern hemisphere there was a great mass of land but did not know for sure. They also imagined that this unknown land was the home of giants and monsters and strange beasts. During the 1500s voyagers from Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, England and France began exploring the Pacific Ocean. Some were searching for the unknown south land.
The first European to discover was thought to have been Willem Jansz, a Dutchman who sailed along part of the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606 and landed on Australian soil. James Cook, an Englishman, was the first European to sail along the eastern coast of Australia in 1770. However some historians have found evidence that seems to show that sailors from Portugal sailed along parts of the Australian coast many years before either Willem Jansz or James Cook
Dutch Explorers - By early 1600s Portugal was losing power in South-East Asia. Holland on the other hand was becoming more powerful and controlled the Dutch East Indies, now called Indonesia. .
English Explorers - William Dampier was a pirate who became a sailor when he was a teenager. His boat the Cygnet, traveled the Pacific Ocean, robbing the ships of other countries.
Portuguese Explorers - Of late there have been suggestions of the Portuguese being the first Europeans to actually have discovered Australia.
Spanish Explorers - In the early 17th century one Spanish captain came very close to landing in Australia. Around this time Spain had established colonies in parts of South America and in 1605 a small fleet of three Spanish shies under the command of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros set out from the port of Callao in Peru specifically in search of the unknown south land.
Endeavour Explorations - The Endeavour expedition left Plymouth, England in 1768 with ninety-four men on board. For eight months it sailed, stopping at the Madeira Islands, Rio de Janeiro and Tierra de Fuego for repairs, food and water.
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