Who and when discovered Australia briefly. Who discovered Australia: the history of the discovery of the continent. The official history of the discovery of Australia

What is the history of Australia? Let's take a brief look at the events that are associated with its discovery. Some researchers express their assumptions, according to which, the first Europeans who reached the coast of Australia at the beginning of the seventeenth century were the Portuguese.

What is the history of the discovery and exploration of Australia? Briefly, this information is presented in encyclopedias, but they do not contain interesting points that confirm the interest of travelers in this territory. Among the evidence that it was the Portuguese who became the discoverers of Australia, the following arguments can be made:

1. Maps of Dieppe, which were published in the middle of the 16th century in France, contain an image of a large land area between Antarctica and Indonesia, called Java la Grande. All explanations and symbols on the map are in Portuguese and French.
2. At the beginning of the sixteenth century in South-East Asia there were Portuguese colonies. For example, the island of Timor, which is located 650 kilometers from the Australian coast, was attributed precisely to Portuguese travelers.

French "trace"

What else Interesting Facts contains the history of the discovery of Australia and Oceania? We will also briefly tell that the French navigator Binot Polmier de Gonneville told that it was he who landed on unknown lands near the Cape Good Hope in 1504. This happened after his ship blew the winds off the intended course. Thanks to this statement, it was this traveler who was credited with the discovery of Australia for a long time. After some time, it was found out that he was on the coast of Brazil.

Discovery of Australia by the Dutch

Let's continue the conversation about what is the history of the discovery of Australia and Oceania. Let us dwell briefly on the first indisputable fact documented in the winter of 1606. The expedition of the Dutch East India Company, led by Willem Janson, managed, together with his comrades, to land on the coast from the ship Dove. After sailing from the island of Java, they went to the southern part of New Guinea, moving along it, the Dutch expedition managed after some time to reach the shores of the Cape York Peninsula, located in northern Australia. The team members were confident that they were still off the coast of New Guinea.

It is the history of the development of Australia that is briefly considered in the school course on geography. The expedition did not see which divides the coast of Australia and New Guinea. On February 26, members of the team landed near the site where the city of Weipa is currently located. The Dutch were immediately attacked by the natives. Later, Janson and his men explored about 350 kilometers of the coast of Australia, sometimes making landfalls. His crew constantly ran into hostile natives, so several Dutch sailors were killed during fierce battles with the natives. The captain decided to return. He never understood what he and his team managed to discover new mainland. Since Janson, in describing his exploration of the coast, described it as a swampy and deserted place, no one attached much importance to his new discovery. The East India Company sent out expeditions in the hope of enriching themselves with jewels and spices, and not at all for serious geographical discoveries.

Luis Vaes de Torres

Describing briefly the history of the exploration of Australia, one can also say about how this traveler moved through the same strait through which Janson's team first passed. Geographers have suggestions that Torres and his comrades managed to visit north coast continent, but no written confirmation of this hypothesis has been found. After some time, the strait began to be called Torres in honor of Luis Vaez de Torres.

Notable expeditions

The story of the discovery and exploration of Australia is also of interest, briefly telling about the voyage of the next ship of the Dutch East India Company, which was driven by Dirk Hartog. In 1616, the ship managed to reach the western coast of Australia, near Shark Bay. For three days, sailors explored the coast, and explored the nearby islands. The Dutch did not find anything of interest, so Hartog decided to continue sailing, heading north along coastline which has not been previously explored. The team then headed to Batavia.

Where is the history of the discovery of Australia described? Briefly, grade 7 studies information about expeditions here from Europe in the 16-17 centuries. For example, educators talk about how in 1619 Jacob d'Erdel and Frederick de Houtman went on two ships to explore the Australian coast. As they moved north, they discovered a band of reefs called Houtman's Rock.

Continued research

After this expedition, other Dutch sailors repeatedly found themselves near these shores, calling the land New Holland. They did not even try to explore the coast, as they did not find any commercial interest here.

The beautiful coastline, even if it aroused their curiosity, clearly did not stimulate them to explore what useful resources Australia has. The history of the country briefly tells about the exploration of the northern and western coasts. The Dutch concluded that the northern lands were barren and unsuitable for use. The sailors did not see the eastern and southern coasts at that time, so Australia was undeservedly recognized as uninteresting for use.

First buildings

In the summer of 1629, the Batavia, an East India Company ship, was shipwrecked off the Houtman Rocks. Soon there was a mutiny, as a result of which a small fort was built by part of the crew for protection. It became the first European construction in Australia. Geographers suggest that at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, about fifty European ships reached the territory of Australia.

The history of the development and settlement of Australia briefly tells about the discoveries made by ships. In 1642, he tried to go around New Holland from the south, while discovering an island called Van Diemen's Land. Some time later it was renamed Tasmania. With the subsequent advance to the east, after some time, the ships ended up near New Zealand. Tasman's first voyage was not successful; travelers failed to approach Australia.

The history of Australia briefly tells that Tasman only in 1644 was able to study in detail the north West Coast, to prove that all the lands that were discovered and analyzed in earlier expeditions are components of one mainland.

English Studies

The history of Australia briefly notes the English contribution to its study. Until the second half of the seventeenth century, there was practically no information in England about the lands that were discovered by Dutch travelers. In 1688, a pirate ship carrying an Englishman, William Dampier, ended up on the northwest coast, near Lake Melville. This fact has been preserved by the history of Australia. Briefly, the surviving records say that after the repair, the ship returned to England. Here, Dampier published a story about the journey, which aroused genuine interest among the English Admiralty.

In 1699, Dampier set out on a second voyage to the coast of Australia on the ship Roebuck. But as part of this trip, he did not find anything interesting, so the Admiralty decided to stop funding the expedition.

Cook's expedition

Talking about the history of the discovery of Australia, one cannot leave without due attention the expedition of 1170, led by Lieutenant James Cook. On the sailboat "Attempt" his team went to southern part Pacific Ocean. The official purpose of the expedition was to make astronomical observations, but in fact Cook received from the Admiralty the task of studying the southern part of the continent. Cook believed that since New Holland has a west coast, therefore, there must be an east coast.

At the end of April 1770, an English expedition landed on the east coast of Australia. The landing site was first named Stingray Bay, then it was renamed Botany Bay because of the unusual plants that were found there.

The open lands were named Cook New Wales and then New South Wales. The Englishman had no idea how big the discovery made by him.

British colonies

The lands that Cook discovered were decided to be colonized, using them as the first colonies for convicts. The fleet, led by Captain Arthur Philip, included 11 ships. He arrived in Australia in January 1788, but, recognizing the region as inconvenient for settlement, they moved north. Governor Philip issued an order establishing the first British colony in Australia. The soils around Sydney Harbor were not suitable for farming, so farms were established near the Parramatta River.

The second fleet, which arrived in Australia in 1790, brought here different materials and supplies. During the journey, 278 convicts and crew members died, so in history it is called the "Death Fleet".

In 1827, a small British settlement was built at King Georges Sound by Major Edmund Lockyer. He became the first governor of a colony created for convicts.

South Australia was founded in 1836. It was not intended for convicts, but some of the former prisoners moved here from other colonies.

Conclusion

It was mastered almost fifty thousand years before it official opening European travelers. Not one century in waterless deserts and tropical jungle continent was inhabited by people with original culture, religion. After the colonization of the Australian coast, a period of active exploration of the territory began. Among the first serious researchers who managed to study the channels of the rivers Macquarie, Lochlan, geographers name John Oxley. Robert Burke became the first Englishman to cross the mainland from north to south. The discovery of Australia was the result of a centuries-old search for the Dutch, Portuguese, and British of the Southern country.

In 2006, archaeologists discovered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs in Australia. This fact led to the promotion of an original hypothesis about the discovery of the contingent by the Egyptians.

Scientists agreed that 1606 can be considered the most likely time for the discovery of Australia. It was then that the famous Dutchman V. Janszon explored the northeastern part - the Cape York Peninsula.

The history of the settlement of Australia is briefly described in this material. Until now, it is associated with numerous mysteries that scientists have yet to solve. For example, guns found during archaeological sites, give reason to believe that the Portuguese visited this territory in the fifteenth century. Full map British colony, which was Australia, scientists managed to draw up only at the beginning of the last century.

Columbus discovered America and Captain Cook discovered Australia. Both of these statements have long been disputed many times, but they continue to live in the minds of the masses. Long before Captain Cook set foot on the coast of Australia on April 20, 1770, navigators from the Old World had already landed here more than once.

According to a number of historians, the Portuguese were the discoverers of Australia. They claim that an expedition led by Cristovan de Mendonça visited the northwest coast of Australia in 1522. It is unknown if this happened intentionally or by accident. The details of this voyage are also unknown. The only material evidence that has come down to us are small bronze cannons with the image of the Portuguese crown minted on them. They were found in 1916 on the shores of Roebuck Bay ( Western Australia) and date back to the beginning of the 16th century.

2 Expedition of Willem Janszon

The first European to visit Australia is the Dutchman Willem Janszon. On November 28, 1605, Captain Janszon set off from Bantam on the ship "Dufken" to unknown lands. Bypassing the islands of Kai and Aru from the north, he reached south coast New Guinea, completely unfamiliar to the Dutch. Janszon called it "Marshy Land" and traced the coastline for 400 kilometers. Then rounding the island of Kolepom, Janszon turned to the southeast, crossed central part Arafura Sea and suddenly saw the shore. It was Australia. In the western part of the Cape York Peninsula, near the mouth of a small river, in May 1606 the Dutch made the first documented landing of Europeans on the Australian continent.

Janszon sailed his ship along the flat desert coast. Although the unknown land, as the Dutch were convinced, stretched further south, on June 6, 1606, at Cape Kerver (“Turn”), the Dufken turned 180º and moved back. During the landings at Albatros Bay, the Dutch first came into contact with Australian aborigines. Fighting immediately ensued, with several dead on both sides. Continuing north, the sailors traced and charted the coast of the Cape York Peninsula almost to its northern tip. The total length of the explored coast of Australia, which Janszon dubbed New Holland, was about 350 kilometers.

3 Expedition of Jan Carstens

The wreck of the English ship Triel, which occurred on May 25, 1622 on reefs near the islands of Monte Bello and Barrow, showed that the complete lack of knowledge of the waters washing the coast of the Northwestern and Northern Australia, threatens great dangers. The leadership of the Dutch East India Company decided to explore the ocean south of Java and trace the southern coast of New Guinea. To accomplish this task, Jan Carstens' expedition set off from Batavia in January 1623 on two ships, the Pera and the Arnhem. For more than a week, Dutch sailors sailed along the southern coast of New Guinea. On the morning of February 16, Carstens saw a tall mountain range- it was the western part of the Maoke mountains. Five days later, a group of Dutch landed ashore to resupply. The local population was very hostile. As a result of the skirmish, 10 sailors were killed, including the captain of the Arnhem.

On March 20, the expedition reached the southwestern tip of New Guinea. The weather worsened, a storm began. On March 28, Carstens sent a navigator on a boat with 12 sailors to explore the coast that could be seen in the distance. He reported that the sea was getting shallower to the east, and desert land was visible in the distance. Meanwhile, it became dangerous to walk along the coast: shallows and reefs began to come across more and more often. The Dutch turned to the open sea.

On April 12, the earth again appeared on the horizon. It was Australia. For two weeks, Carstens' ships sailed south along the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula, landing several times on land - in estuaries and in bays. The aborigines they met were quite peaceful. The flat and low-lying coast of Northwestern Australia was described by Carstens in his report as "the most barren on Earth." The Dutch could not even find enough fresh water here. In addition, the flagship of the Pera expedition was damaged. Carstens instructed Colster, the captain of the Arnhem, to complete the exploration of the coast, while he himself turned north and safely reached Moluccas. Colster, moving south, managed to reach the Gulf of Carpentaria. Taking advantage of the favorable southeast monsoon, he turned from here to the northwest and, following this course, opened large peninsula, later named the Arnhemland Peninsula after his ship.

4 Expeditions of Abel Tasman

By the beginning of the 1640s. the Dutch knew and mapped the following parts of Australia: in the north - the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula, the protrusion of Arnhemland, the entire western coast of the mainland and western part his south coast. However, it was still not clear what exactly this mysterious land: a separate continent or a giant ledge of the still undiscovered Greater Southern Continent? And the pragmatic directors of the East India Company were worried about another question: what are the potential benefits of these newfound lands? What are their commercial prospects? The expedition of the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, who left Batavia in 1642 on two small ships, the Hemskerk and Zehan, was supposed to answer these questions. Tasman did not meet any mainland, and only on November 24 from the board of the Zehan did they see a high coast, called Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). Tasman never figured out whether it was an island or the southern tip of Australia, and Van Diemen's Land was considered a peninsula for more than a century and a half, until Bass Strait was passed. Going further to the south-east of the runoff, Tasman discovered New Zealand, and on this expedition almost ended, leaving a mass unresolved issues.

In 1645, the governor of Batavia, Van Diemen, sent Tasman to new expedition to the coast of Australia. Three Tasman ships surveyed the southern coast of New Guinea for 750 kilometers and completed the discovery of the Gulf of Carpentaria, bypassing its eastern and, for the first time, southern and western coast. Experienced sailors, the Dutch never noticed the entrance to the Torres Strait. In total, the expedition explored and mapped about 5.5 thousand kilometers of coast and found that all the lands previously discovered by the Dutch are parts of a single mainland - New Holland. However, Tasman did not find anything worthy of attention from the point of view of commerce on this mainland, and after 1644 the Dutch completely cooled off towards the Green Continent.

5 James Cook Expedition

In 1768, James Cook set out on his first circumnavigation. In April 1770, Cook approached the east coast of Australia. On the shore of the bay, in the waters of which the Endeavor stopped, the expedition managed to find many previously unknown plant species, so Cook called this bay Botanical. From Botany Bay, Cook headed northwest along the east coast of Australia.

A few kilometers north of Botany Bay, James Cook discovered a wide natural passage into a huge natural harbor - Port Jackson. In his report, the researcher described it as perfect place for the safe parking of many ships. Many years later, the first Australian city, Sydney, was founded here. It took Cook the next four months to climb up to the Gulf of Carpentaria, to the area that bears the name New Holland. Navigator made up detailed map coastline of future Australia.

Not quite happily passing the big barrier reef, Endeavor has finally reached the northern tip of Australia. On August 22, 1770, James Cook, on behalf of King George III, solemnly proclaimed the land he had explored as the possession of Great Britain and named it New South Wales.

Legends that somewhere far to the south, beyond the single World Ocean, there must exist huge land known since ancient times. It was to the ancient geographers who called this land “ Terra Australis”, that is, “South Land”, Australia owes its modern name. And although their assumptions were largely erroneous, in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, many researchers dreamed not only of the way to India, but also of the vast southern continent.

In the 15th century, the Portuguese, under the leadership of Vasco da Gama, opened the southern route to India and founded their first colonies on the banks of indian ocean. The "maximum task" was completed and many explorers rushed south in search of the "Terra Australis" continent. They managed to discover many islands of Oceania, New Guinea and, most likely, set foot on the soil of Australia.

There is a version that the Portuguese Cristovan de Mendonsa was the first to find Australia in 1522. However, there is no reliable evidence of his discovery.

Who is considered the pioneer?

Today it is an indisputable fact that the Dutch were the true discoverers of Australia in the 17th century. The dominance of Portugal in the region at that time came to an end and their place was taken by Holland - one of the most developed and strong European powers of this period. In 1605, the Dutch citizen Willem Janszon set sail on the Deifken ship from the port of Bantam on the island of Java. His goal was to explore the southern coast of Guinea, but, as in the case of another traveler, Christopher Columbus, he found something completely different from what he was looking for. unknown land, which the Deifken team stumbled upon, rounding northern part Guinea was Australia.

Melbourne is located on the territory that John Batman bought in the 18th century. However, the deal was declared invalid and the city was named Melbourne, not Batmania, as the owner of the land had planned.

Willem Janszon, like Columbus, did not realize that he had discovered a huge continent, calling the discovered Australian peninsula Cape York "New Zealand". The true scale of what was found became known later. Most likely, Willem Janszoon was not the first European to set foot on the land of the "Southern Continent". However, a large number of direct and indirect evidence of its discovery does not leave historians the slightest doubt that he should be considered the pioneer of "Terra Australis".

James Cook was born in 1728 on October 27 in the town of Morton, located in Yorkshire. At the age of 18, while working in a grocery store, he suddenly became interested in sea ​​voyages. Cook entered as a cabin boy on a dry cargo ship that transports coal. And 20 years later, he was entrusted with the management of a scientific expedition in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1770, the clumsy and heavy ship Endeavor stopped in the waters of one bay. Among the members of the Cook team who went in search of the unknown southern mainland, in other words, Australia, there was also a scientist - a botanist of the Royal Society, Joseph Banks. Who was so struck by the picture that seemed to him of plants, until then unknown to science, that he was able to persuade Cook to rename the already named bay. Since then, it has become known as Botanical.

It must be said that an expedition with such a number of scientists on board in Pacific Ocean sent for the first time. In addition to Banks, there were also naturalists from Sweden Spering and Solander, 2 artists, with assistants - a total of 11 people on board the ship. In addition, Cook himself was an excellent astronomer and cartographer. The main reason for the expedition was just the observation from Tahiti of how Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun.

The Endeavor sailed from Plymouth in 1768. The following year, in June, he reaches Tahiti, where the observation of the planets took place. It seems that the task is completed, but Cook had a secret package instructing him to sail further south. There, the expedition team was supposed to search for hitherto unknown southern land.

In search of the mainland, James Cook brought the Endeavor to the coast of New Zealand, which was discovered by Abel Tasman back in 1642. As in the case of the Dutch researcher, the reaction local population- Maori was extremely unfriendly. However, the British were ready for this hostile reception, among the expedition there were no losses, but several islanders were still killed during the skirmish. Cook decided to carefully explore the coast of New Zealand. As a result of a four-month study near north island and seven weeks near the South appeared an accurate map of this continent.

On April 1, 1770, Endeavor left New Zealand and headed for New Holland. A month later, the ship reached the bay, which soon became known as Botany Bay. In the ship's log, Cook defined this land as pleasant to the eye, rather calm and varied. The Endeavor lay in the harbor for eight days. Joseph Banks during this time made many descriptions of new plant species, as well as the nature local residents, which he could not attribute to either Negroes or Polynesians. The natives were at first hostile to the travelers, but a few shots fired into the air calmed them down. Then there were no disagreements with the indigenous people.

A couple of kilometers from Botany Bay, Cook found a large natural passage to the huge harbor - Port Jackson. In the report, he described it as a good place for the parking of many ships. The report was not forgotten, and many years later the first city, Sydney, was founded here.

Then it took Cook four months to sail up to the top of the Gulf of Carpenter, to a place called New Holland. traveler make up accurate map coast of future Australia. A dozen new names appear - bays, harbors, capes, bays, receiving new English names. The kings and ministers, lords, provinces and cities of Britain all acquire Australian counterparts.

Having not very successfully passed a large barrier reef, the ship, in the end, reaches northern edge Australia. More than once, Endeavor was on the verge of death, but the experience of the team and the captain helped to prevent serious problems. Only once luck turned away from the discoverers. On June 17, the ship hit a reef and almost drowned. This event took place near the city of Cooktown. Repair of the ship took seven weeks. And today this place, in memory of past events, is called Cape Tribulation, which translates as Cape of Misfortune. It is famous all over the world for its forest. This is the only place on earth where the "Rhine Forest" goes into the ocean. A tropical forest grows its roots from the reef.

In "" 1770 on August 22, James Cook, on behalf of George 3, proclaims the land he solemnly explored as the property of Britain and calls it New South Wales. Probably this name came from the fact that the area here reminded the traveler of the coast of Glamorgan in South Wales. With a proud sense of duty, Cook sent the Endeavor to Batavia, and then to Great Britain, where he was expected by universal recognition, an audience with the king and promotion. On July 13, 1771, the ship reaches Plymouth.

Surprisingly, Cook was unable to find fresh water in New South Wales. Most likely, because the researcher did not go deep into the mainland. However, this was an occasion to write in the report that he made when he returned to Great Britain that this territory was uninhabitable. It was a rare case when the traveler made a mistake. Fresh water was, but it fell to another person to find it. This was done by Arthur Philip, the captain of the first fleet, who came here with the prisoners after 18 years.