European exploration of Australia 60018 220450889 2008-06-19T22:39:10Z Tesscass 3089075 dab Blue Mountains {{History_of_Australia/Chronological}} {{Refimprove|date=June 2008}} The '''European exploration of Australia''' encompasses several waves of seafarers and land explorers. Although [[Australia]] is often said to have been discovered by [[Royal Navy]] Lt. (later Captain) [[James Cook]] in 1770, he was merely one of a number of European explorers to have sighted and landed on the continent prior to English settlement, and he did so 164 years after the first such documented encounter. Nor did the exploration of Australia end with Cook; explorers by land and sea continued to survey the continent for many years after settlement. ==Early European sightings== Although it is possible that the [[Spaniard]] [[Luis Váez de Torres]] sighted Australia when he sailed through the [[Torres Strait]] in [[1605]], the first documented and undisputed European [[Janszoon voyage of 1606|sighting and landing]] of Australia was in [[1606]], by the [[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] navigator [[Willem Janszoon]] aboard the ''[[Duyfken]]''. Occasional claims have been made in support of earlier encounters, particularly for various [[Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia|Portuguese explorations]]. Evidence put forward in favour of this theory, particularly by [[Kenneth McIntyre]],<ref>{{cite book | last =McIntyre | first =Kenneth | authorlink = | title =Secret Discovery of Australia: Portuguese Ventures 200 Years Before Captain Cook | publisher =Pan Books Australia | date =1982 | location =Sydney | pages =236 | id = ISBN 0330270338 }}</ref> include rock paintings of what appear to be the type of ships used by the Portuguese, the [[Mahogany Ship]], the [[Geelong Keys]], coins found on the [[Victoria (Australia)|Victorian]] coast, and evidence based on the [[Dieppe maps]]. However, this issue is very hotly debated, and any early Portuguese discovery is by no means a historical certainty. In the 13th century, [[Marco Polo]] referred to reports of a large land mass to the south of Asia, but did not see it himself.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} ==Dutch exploration in the 17th century== [[Image:Tasmanroutes.PNG|thumb|Voyages of [[Abel Tasman|Tasman]]]] [[Image:Thevenot - Hollandia Nova detecta 1644.png|thumb|right|''Hollandia Nova'', [[1659]] map prepared by [[Joan Blaeu]] ]] The most significant exploration of Australia in the 1600s was by the Dutch. The [[Dutch East India Company]] traded extensively with the islands which now form parts of [[Indonesia]], and hence were very close to Australia already. Some Dutch explorers include [[Dirk Hartog]] who landed on the [[Western Australia]]n coast, leaving behind a [[Hartog plate|pewter plate]] engraved with the date of his landing, and [[Abel Tasman]] for whom [[Tasmania]] was eventually named -- he originally called it [[Van Diemen's Land]] after a senior member of the Dutch East India Company. Maps from this period and the early 18th century often have Australia marked as "New Holland" on account of the voyages of these Dutch explorers. {| border=1 style="border-collapse:collapse;" ! | When ! | Who ! | Ship(s) ! | Where |- |[[1606]] |[[Willem Janszoon]] |[[Duyfken|''Duyfken'']] |[[Gulf of Carpentaria]], [[Cape York Peninsula]] ([[Queensland]]) |- |[[1615]] |[[Willem Schouten]] | | ? |- |[[1616]] |[[Dirk Hartog]] |[[Eendracht (1615 ship)|''Eendracht'']] |[[Shark Bay]] area, [[Western Australia]] |- |[[1619]] |[[Frederick de Houtman]] | |Sighted land near [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia]] |- |[[1623]] |[[Jan Carstenszoon|Jan Carstensz]] |[[VOC ship Pera|''Pera'']] and [[Arnhem (ship)|''Arnhem'']] |[[Gulf of Carpentaria]], [[Carpentier River]] |- |[[1627]] |[[François Thijssen]] |''het Gulden Zeepaerdt'' |1800 km of the South coast (from [[Cape Leeuwin]] to [[Ceduna]]) |- |[[1642]]-[[1643]] |[[Abel Tasman]] |''Heemskerck'' and ''Zeehaen'' |[[Van Diemen's Land]], later called [[Tasmania]] |- |[[1696]]-[[1697]] |[[Willem de Vlamingh]] ||''Geelvink'', ''Nyptangh'' and the ''Wezeltje'' ||[[Rottnest Island]], [[Swan River (Western Australia)|Swan River]], [[Dirk Hartog Island]] ([[Western Australia]]) |} One Dutch captain of this period who was not really an explorer but who nevertheless bears mentioning was [[Francisco Pelsaert]], captain of the [[Batavia (ship)|''Batavia'']] which was wrecked off the coast of [[Western Australia]] in [[1629]]. [[Joan Blaeu]]'s 1659 map on the right shows the clearly recognizable outline of Australia based on the many Dutch explorations of the first half of the 17th century. ==1700-1769== [[Image:Capt Dampier's new voyage to New Holland &c in 1699 - Project Gutenberg eText 15675.jpg|thumb|Map of [[William Dampier]]'s voyage.]] Throughout the 18th century, knowledge of Australia's coastline increased gradually. Explorers such as [[William Dampier]] contributed to this understanding. Explorers of this period: *[[William Dampier]] ==1770: Cook's Expedition== [[Image:Cookroutes.png|thumb|240px|[[James Cook|Cook's]] [[First voyage of James Cook|1770 voyage]] shown in red]] In [[1768]] [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] Lieutenant [[James Cook]] was sent from [[England]] on an expedition to the [[Pacific Ocean]] to observe the [[transit of Venus]] from [[Tahiti]], sailing westwards in [[HM Bark Endeavour|HM Bark ''Endeavour'']] via [[Cape Horn]] and arriving there in [[1769]]. On the return voyage he continued his explorations of the South Pacific, in search of the postulated continent of "[[Terra Australis]]". He first reached [[New Zealand]], and then sailed further westwards to sight the south-eastern corner of the Australian continent on [[April 20]], [[1770]]. In doing so, he was to be the first documented European expedition to reach the eastern coastline. He continued sailing northwards along the east coast, charting and naming many features along the way. He identified [[Botany Bay]] as a good harbour and one potentially suitable for a settlement, and where he made his first landfall on [[April 29]]. Continuing up the coastline, the ''Endeavour'' was to later run aground on shoals of the [[Great Barrier Reef]] (near the present-day site of [[Cooktown]]), where she had to be laid up for repairs. Once corrected the voyage recommenced, eventually reaching the [[Torres Strait]] and thence on to [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies]]. The expedition returned to England via the [[Indian Ocean]] and [[Cape of Good Hope]]. Cook's expedition carried botanist [[Joseph Banks]], for whom a great many Australian geographical features and at least one native plant are named. His report on his discoveries along the Australian coast, in conjunction with the loss of England's [[penal colonies]] in America after they gained [[Revolutionary War|independence]] and growing concern over [[France|French]] activity in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] led to the later foundation of a colony at [[Port Jackson]] in [[1788]]. ==Later exploration by sea== [[Image:Bass-map.jpg|thumb|240px|Voyages of [[George Bass|Bass]], who the [[Bass Strait]] is named after.]] [[Image:Flinders-map from project gutenberg.jpg|thumb|240px|Voyages of [[Matthew Flinders]]]] [[Image:King-map.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Phillip Parker King|King's]] voyages around Australia.]] The charting of Australia's coast continued well into the 19th century. [[Matthew Flinders]] was one of the most important explorers of this period, and was the first to circumnavigate the continent. {| border=1 style="border-collapse:collapse;" ! | When ! | Who ! | Ship(s) ! | Where |- |[[1773]] |[[Tobias Furneaux]] |''Adventure'' |South and east coasts of [[Tasmania]] |- |[[1776]] |[[James Cook]] |[[HMS Resolution (Cook)|''Resolution'']] |Southern [[Tasmania]] |- | [[1788]] | [[Jean-François de Galaup, count de La Pérouse|La Perouse]] | [[Astrolabe (ship)|''Astrolabe'']] and [[Boussole (ship)|''Boussole'']] | [[Sydney]] area; encountered [[First Fleet]] in [[Botany Bay]] |- |[[1796]] |[[Matthew Flinders]] |[[Tom Thumb (boat)|''Tom Thumb'']] |Coastline around [[Sydney]] |- |[[1798]] |[[Matthew Flinders]] and [[George Bass]] |[[Norfolk (sloop)|''Norfolk'']] |Circumnavigated [[Tasmania]] |- |[[1801-1802]] |[[Nicolas Baudin]], accompanied by [[Thomas Vasse]] and numerous naturalists (see below) | [[Le Géographe and Le Naturaliste|''Le Géographe'' and ''Le Naturaliste'']] | Eastern coast; met Flinders at [[Encounter Bay]] |- | [[1801]] | [[John Murray (Australian explorer)|John Murray]] | [[Lady Nelson|''Lady Nelson'']] | [[Bass Strait]]; discovery of [[Port Phillip]] |- | [[1802]] | [[Matthew Flinders]] | [[Investigator (ship)|''Investigator'']] | Circumnavigation of Australia |- |[[1817]] |[[King expedition of 1817]] - [[Phillip Parker King]] accompanied by [[Frederick Bedwell]] |[[HMS Mermaid|''HMS Mermaid'']] |Circumnavigation of Australia; charting of the north-western coasts |} ==Land exploration 1788-1900== [[Image:Blaxland-map.jpg|thumb|[[Gregory Blaxland|Blaxland]]'s expedition to cross the [[Blue Mountains (Australia)|Blue Mountains]]]] [[Image:Oxley-map.jpg|thumb|[[John Oxley]]'s expeditions]] [[Image:Sturt and Hume and Hovell expeditions.jpg|thumb|240px|Route of the [[Charles Sturt|Sturt]], [[Hamilton Hume|Hume]] and [[William Hovell|Hovell]] expeditions]] The opening up of the interior to European settlement occurred gradually throughout the colonial period, and a number of these explorers are very well known. [[Burke and Wills]] are the best known for their failed attempt to cross the interior of Australia, but such men as [[Hamilton Hume]] and [[Charles Sturt]] are also notable -- if only because major geographical features, landmarks, and institutions have been named after them. For many years, plans of westward expansion from [[Sydney]] were thwarted by the [[Great Dividing Range]], a large range of mountains which shadows the east coast from the [[Queensland]]-[[New South Wales]] border to the south coast. The part of the range near Sydney is called the [[Blue Mountains (Australia)|Blue Mountains]]. Governor [[Philip Gidley King]] declared that they were impassable, but despite this, [[Gregory Blaxland]] successfully led an expedition to cross them in [[1813]]. He was accompanied by [[William Lawson]], [[William Wentworth]] and four servants. This trip paved the way for numerous small expeditions which were undertaken in the following few years. In [[1824]], Governor [[Thomas Brisbane]] asked [[Hamilton Hume]] and [[William Hovell]] to travel from Hume's station near modern-day [[Canberra]], to [[Spencer Gulf]] (west of modern-day [[Adelaide]]). However, they were required to pay their own costs. Hume and Hovell decided that Western Port was a more realistic goal, and they left with a party of six men. After discovering and crossing the [[Murrumbidgee River|Murrumbidgee]] and [[Murray River|Murray]] rivers, they eventually reached a site near modern-day [[Geelong]], somewhat west of their intended destination. In [[1829]]-[[1830|30]], [[Charles Sturt]] performed an expedition similar to the one which Hume and Hovell had refused: a trip to the mouth of the Murray River. They followed the Murrumbidgee until it met the Murray, and then found the junction of the Murray and the [[Darling River|Darling]] before continuing on to the mouth of the Murray. The discovery that the Darling, Macquarie, Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers all flowed west had led many to believe that the interior of Australia contained an inland sea. The search for an inland sea was an inspiration for many early expeditions west of the Great Dividing Ranges. This quest drove many explorers to extremes of endurance and hardship. Charles Sturt's expedition explained the mystery. It also led to the opening of [[South Australia]] to settlement. [[Thomas Mitchell]], the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, made a significant discovery in [[1836]]. He led an expedition along the Lachlan River, down to the Murray River. He then set off for the southern coast, mapping what is now western Victoria. There he discovered the richest grazing land ever seen in Australia. He was knighted for this discovery in [[1837]]. When he reached the coast at [[Portland, Australia|Portland Bay]], he was surprised to find a small settlement. It had been established by the Henty family, who had sailed across [[Bass Strait]] from Van Diemen's Land in [[1834]], without the authorities being informed. [[Image:Eyre-map.jpg|thumb|[[Edward John Eyre|Eyre]]'s expeditions on the [[Nullabor Plain]] and to the [[Flinders Ranges]]]] [[Image:Kennedy-map.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Edmund Kennedy|Kennedy]]'s expeditions in the interior of [[Queensland]]]] [[Image:Leichhardt-map.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Ludwig Leichhardt|Leichardt]]'s exploration]] [[Image:Burke and Wills Track.png|thumb|The ill fated expedition of [[Burke and Wills]]]] [[Image:Stuart-map.jpg|thumb|240px|[[John McDouall Stuart|Stuart]] was the first to cross the country from south to north successfully.]] [[Image:Expeditions of John Forrest.jpg|thumb|240px|Map of [[John Forrest]]'s expeditions]] Perhaps the most famous Australian explorers were [[Robert O'Hara Burke]] and [[William John Wills]] who in [[1860]]-[[1861|61]] led a well equipped expedition from Melbourne to the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]]. Due to an unfortunate run of bad luck, oversight and poor leadership, Burke and Wills both died on the return trip. See [[Burke and Wills expedition]] for a full account. Expeditions (in chronological order): {| border=1 style="border-collapse:collapse;" ! | When ! | Who ! | Where |- |[[1804]] |[[William Paterson (governor)|William Paterson]] |[[Port Dalrymple]], [[Tamar River]], [[North Esk River]] ([[Tasmania]]) |- | [[1813]] | [[Gregory Blaxland|Blaxland]], [[William Wentworth|Wentworth]], and [[William Lawson|Lawson]] | From [[Sydney]] across the [[Great Dividing Range]] via the [[Blue Mountains (Australia)|Blue Mountains]]; first penetration into inland [[New South Wales]] |- |[[1817]]-[[1818]] |[[John Oxley]] |Interior of [[New South Wales]]; discovered [[Lachlan River]] and [[Macquarie River]] |- |[[1824]] |[[Hume and Hovell expedition]] |[[Sydney]] to [[Geelong, Victoria|Geelong]]; discovered [[Murray River]] |- | [[1828]] | [[Charles Sturt]] and [[Hamilton Hume]] | [[Macquarie River]] area; discovered [[Darling River]] |- |[[1829]] |[[Charles Sturt]] |Along the [[Murrumbidgee River]]; found and named [[Murray River]], and determined that western-flowing rivers flowed into the Murray-Darling basin |- |[[1830]] |[[John Molloy]] |[[Blackwood River]], [[Western Australia]] |- |[[1830]]-[[1834]] |[[Alfred Bussell|Alfred]] and [[John Bussell]] |[[Blackwood River]] and [[Vasse, Western Australia|the Vasse]], [[Western Australia]] |- |[[1831]] |[[Robert Dale]] and [[George Fletcher Moore]] |[[Avon River (Western Australia)|Avon River]] area in [[Western Australia]] |- |[[1831]] |[[Collet Barker]] |[[Mount Lofty]] and the [[Murray Mouth]] |- |[[1834]] |[[Frederick Ludlow]] |[[Augusta, Western Australia|Augusta]] to [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]]; discovered [[Capel River]] |- |[[1834]]-[[1836]] |[[George Fletcher Moore]] |[[Avon River (Western Australia)|Avon River]] and [[Swan River (Western Australia)|Swan River]]; discovered that they are the same river; discovered rich pastoral land near the [[Moore River (Western Australia)|Moore River]] |- |[[1839]]-[[1841]] |[[Edward John Eyre]] |The [[Flinders Ranges]] and [[Nullarbor Plain]] |- |[[1840]] |[[Paweł Edmund Strzelecki]] |Ascended and named [[Mount Kosciuszko]], [[New South Wales]] |- |[[1840]] |[[Patrick Leslie]] |[[Condamine River]], [[New South Wales]] |- |[[1840]]-[[1842]] |[[Clement Hodgkinson]] |North-eastern [[New South Wales]], from [[Port Macquarie, New South Wales|Port Macquarie]] to [[Moreton Bay]] |- |[[1844]] |[[Charles Sturt]] |North-western [[New South Wales]] and north-eastern [[South Australia]]; discovered and named [[Simpson Desert]] |- |[[1847]] |[[Anthony O'Grady Lefroy]] and [[Alfred Durlacher]] |[[Gingin, Western Australia|Gingin]], [[Western Australia]] |- |[[1854]] |[[Austin expedition of 1854]] - [[Robert Austin]], [[Kenneth Brown (pastoralist)|Kenneth Brown]] |[[Geraldton, Western Australia|Geraldton]], [[Mount Magnet]], [[Murchison River]] ([[Western Australia]] |- |[[1858]]-[[1860]] |[[John McDouall Stuart]] |North-western [[South Australia]]; discovered water sources used as staging points for later expeditions; found and named [[Finke River]], [[MacDonnell Ranges]], [[Tennant Creek]] |- | [[1860]] | [[Burke and Wills expedition]] including [[Robert O'Hara Burke]], [[William John Wills]] | [[Melbourne]] to [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] (traversing Australia south to north); determined non-existence of inland sea |- |[[1897]] |[[Frank Hann]] |[[Pilbara]] region of [[Western Australia]]; named [[Lake Disappointment]] |} Other explorers by land (in alphabetical order): {{col-begin}} {{col-4}} *[[Collet Barker]] *[[John Baxter (explorer)|John Baxter]] *[[Francis Cadell (explorer)|Francis Cadell]] *[[David Carnegie]] *[[Robert Dale]] *[[George Evans (explorer)|George Evans]] *[[Edward John Eyre]] *[[Alexander Forrest]] *[[John Forrest]] {{col-4}} *[[Alfred Gibson]] *[[Ernest Giles]] *[[William Gosse]] *[[George Goyder]] *[[Augustus Gregory]] *[[George Edward Grey]] *[[John Ainsworth Horrocks]] *[[Frank Hann]] *[[William Hovell]] *[[Edmund Kennedy]] *[[William Landsborough]] *[[William Lawson]] *[[Ludwig Leichhardt]] {{col-4}} *[[Patrick Leslie]] *[[Thomas Livingstone Mitchell]] *[[William Paterson (governor)|William Paterson]] *[[Charles Sturt]] *[[Watkin Tench]] *[[William Henry Tietkins|William Tietkins]] *[[Frederick Walker (explorer)|Frederick Walker]] *[[Peter Warburton]] {{col-4}} {{col-end}} ==20th century explorers== By the turn of the 20th century, most of the major geographical features of Australia had been discovered by European explorers. However, there are some 20th century people who are considered explorers. They include: * [[Ted Colson]] (first to cross the [[Simpson Desert]] in 1936) * [[Cecil Madigan]] (major scientific expedition to the Simpson Desert in 1939) * [[Len Beadell]] * [[Robyn Davidson]] ==Indigenous Australians participating in European Exploration== A number of [[Indigenous Australians]] participated in the European exploration of Australia. They include: *[[Tommy Windich]], who joined [[John Forrest]] in his search for [[Ludwig Leichhardt]] *[[Wylie (person)|Wylie]], who accompanied Eyre's expedition across the Nullarbor ==Naturalists and other scientists== There are a number of naturalists and other scientists closely associated with European exploration of Australia. They include: *[[Joseph Banks]] and [[Daniel Solander]] (accompanied Cook's 1770 expedition) *[[Allan Cunningham]] (accompanied Oxley's 1817 expedition) *[[John Gilbert (naturalist)|John Gilbert]] accompanied Leichhardt's expedition *[[Clement Hodgkinson]] (also an explorer in his own right) *[[Ferdinand von Mueller]] (accompanied [[Augustus Gregory]]'s expedition *[[Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour]], [[François Péron]] and [[Charles Alexander Lesueur]] (accompanied Baudin's 1801 expedition) ==Uncategorised explorers== *[[William Patrick Auld]] *[[Francis Barrallier]] *[[James Calvert]] *[[Emily Caroline Creaghe]] *[[Louis de Rougemont]] *[[Hedley Herbert Finlayson]] *[[George Frankland]] *[[John Graham]] *[[Francis Thomas Gregory|Frank Gregory]] *[[Alfred Howitt]] *[[Robert Logan Jack]] *[[Jackey Jackey]] *[[Alexander William Jardine]] *[[Frank Jardine]] *[[Gerard Krefft]] *[[John Lhotsky]] *[[Edmund Lockyer]] *[[Carl Sofus Lumholtz]] *[[John MacGillivray]] *[[W. J. Peasley]] *[[Nicholas Pateshall]] *[[Olive Pink]] *[[John Price]] *[[Arthur Bowes Smyth]] *[[Michael Terry]] *[[Frederick Walker (explorer)|Frederick Walker]] *[[Warrup]] *[[Lawrence Wells]] *[[William Wentworth]] *[[Tommy Windiitj]] *[[Charles Winnecke]] http://upload.wikimedia.org/fundraising/2007/people-meter-ltr.png ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == *[http://gutenberg.net.au/explorers.html Explorers] page at [http://gutenberg.net.au Project Gutenburg Australia] *[http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks05/0501231h.html original documentation from 17th Century Dutch exploration] at [http://gutenberg.net.au Project Gutenburg Australia] {{Link FA|pt}} [[Category:Exploration of Australia|*European exploration]] [[fr:Exploration de l'Australie par les Européens]] [[pl:Odkrycia i badania Australii]] [[pt:Descoberta da Austrália]]