Two hundred years ago, in the romantic age of exploration, Matthew Flinders became the first to circumnavigate and chart the treacherous Terra Australis coastline. Literally, he is the man who put Australia on the map.

Who mapped the east coast of Australia?

In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain.

Who discovered the coast of Australia?

While Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, and traded with nearby islanders, the first documented landing on Australia by a European was in 1606. The Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed on the western side of Cape York Peninsula and charted about 300 km of coastline.

Which British explorer mapped the coast of Australia?

Captain Cook is considered one of the greatest navigators and explorers of all time and, even before his death, was celebrated as a British national hero and icon. Cook mapped the east coast of Australia – this paved the way for British settlement 18 years later.

Who named Australia?

It was the English explorer Matthew Flinders who made the suggestion of the name we use today. He was the first to circumnavigate the continent in 1803, and used the name 'Australia' to describe the continent on a hand drawn map in 1804. The National Library holds a reproduction.

Mapping Australia

Is Torres Strait international waters?

Geography. The strait links the Coral Sea to the east with the Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria in the west. Although it is an important international sea lane, it is very shallow (water depth of 7 to 15 m, 23 to 49 ft), and the maze of reefs and islands can make it hazardous to navigate.

Who explored Australia and NZ?

Abel Tasman was a great explorer who discovered Australia and New Zealand long before James Cook. Discover what he did in his Australasian Adventures.

Who explored the coast of Australia New Zealand and North America?

After Janszoon many Dutch explorers sailed along the northern, western and southern coastline. James Cook was the first recorded explorer to land on the east coast in 1770. He had with him maps showing the north, west and south coasts based on the earlier Dutch exploration.

What was Australia called before?

Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.

Was Australia or New Zealand discovered first?

Australia and New Zealand had quite separate indigenous histories, settled at different times by very different peoples – Australia from Indonesia or New Guinea around 50,000 years ago, New Zealand from islands in the tropical Pacific around 1250–1300 CE.

What is the capital of Australia?

Canberra, federal capital of the Commonwealth of Australia. It occupies part of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), in southeastern Australia, and is about 150 miles (240 km) southwest of Sydney.

Did the Portuguese reach Australia?

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A 16th century maritime map in a Los Angeles library vault proves that Portuguese adventurers, not British or Dutch, were the first Europeans to discover Australia, says a new book which details the secret discovery of Australia. ... The maps represented the known world at the time.

What did Portugal call Australia?

The central plank of the theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia suggests the continent called Jave la Grande, which uniquely appears on a series of 16th-century French world maps, the Dieppe school of maps, represents Australia.

Who Discovered Antarctica?

The first confirmed sighting of mainland Antarctica, on 27 January 1820, is attributed to the Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, discovering an ice shelf at Princess Martha Coast that later became known as the Fimbul Ice Shelf.

Who Mapped New Zealand?

The English navigator Captain James Cook sighted New Zealand on 6 October 1769, and landed at Poverty Bay two days later. He drew detailed and accurate maps of the country, and wrote about the Māori people.

Who colonized Australia?

The rise of the British empire in Australia

He landed in Australia in 1770 and claimed it as a British territory. The process of colonisation began in 1788. A fleet of 11 ships, containing 736 convicts, some British troops and a governor set up the first colony of New South Wales.

What was New Zealand originally called?

Hendrik Brouwer proved that the South American land was a small island in 1643, and Dutch cartographers subsequently renamed Tasman's discovery Nova Zeelandia from Latin, after the Dutch province of Zeeland. This name was later anglicised to New Zealand.

Who are Australian explorers?

• Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills. The first to successfully cross the continent from South to North. ...
• Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. ...
• Richard 'Dick' Smith AC. ...
• Sir Douglas Mawson OBE. ...
• Joseph Banks. ...
• Matthew Flinders. ...
• Ron and Valerie Taylor. ...
• Charles Sturt.

Who was the first woman explorer?

Back in the late 18th century, French explorer Jeanne Baret became the first woman ever to circumnavigate the Earth.

What did Matthew Flinders discover?

Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) proved that Tasmania was an island and produced its first map. He traced the coasts of the Australian continent, proving that the east, New South Wales, was the same land mass as the west, New Holland. He produced the first complete map of Australia.

What countries are Torres Strait?

The Torres Strait Islands are part of the Australian state of Queensland. Situated between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea, the Torres Strait Islands are the only part of Australia sharing a border with another country.

Are Torres Strait Islanders indigenous?

Torres Strait Islanders are of Melanesian origin with their own distinct identity, history and cultural traditions. Many Torres Strait Islanders live on mainland Australia. The term 'Indigenous' is used to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Can you visit Torres Strait Islands?

You can visit the Torres Strait Islands by plane, car or cruise. ... Services such as McDonald Charter Boats will then ferry you across to Thursday Island. If you're driving the Pacific Coast Way to Cape York, you can catch a ferry across to Thursday Island.