It is known for certain that the colonization of Australia began thanks to the discoveries of James Cook. It was he who declared the new lands the property of the British Crown, gave names to capes and bays, and mapped the coastline of the continent. But, of course, everything is not so simple. The first European to reach the coast of Australia was by no means Cook. It had many predecessors who sailed under the flags of the largest maritime powers of the time: Portugal, Spain and Holland.
Unknown Southern Land
Even in antiquity, Europeans guessed that in the Southern Hemisphere there should be a continent that balances the lands of the Northern Hemisphere. This mythical continent was a source of inspiration for navigators and cartographers. In their quest for enrichment, the Europeans had high hopes that Terra Australis would prove rich and fertile. But they did not attempt a targeted search: the fact is that high latitudes did not bode well for sailors. They were famous for constant storms, and no one swam there of their own free will. Apart fromstorms sailors feared thick fogs. It is the latter, presumably, that caused Australia to be discovered later than the surrounding islands.
Population
If we talk about who first reached the shores of Australia, then it makes sense to mention the natives who settled the continent about 40 thousand years ago. Their ancestors came from Asia and managed to move to Australia because in those distant times the land had a slightly different shape. Subsequently, the indigenous Australians were isolated from the rest of the world, their culture developed very slowly. Therefore, the European conquerors unanimously called them "pathetic".
Who was the first to reach the coast of Australia?
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese colonialists mastered the Sunda Islands. Local residents told them about the lands lying in the southeast. The Portuguese landed on the northwestern shores of the continent, explored them and considered them unpromising. They left some evidence of their stay here: several centuries later, Portuguese cannons were found on the shores of Roebuck Bay.
In the middle of the 16th century, another new land was discovered in relative proximity - Papua (New Guinea). All the islands found in these latitudes (usually by accident) were perceived as part of the Unknown Southern Land, but neither the Portuguese nor the Spaniards were intrigued by the new territories. The shores turned out to be too harsh, and the inhabitants were poor. Although the coastline of the mainland was partially mapped, history has not preserved the name of the captain who was the first European to reach the coast. Australia.
Activities of the East India Company
By the time the Dutch became interested in the search for Terra Australis, Spanish navigators (Mendanya, Quiros and Torres) discovered the Santa Cruz Islands, as well as the Marquesas and Solomon Islands, and proved that New Guinea is not the South Land. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch seized the Sunda Islands from the Portuguese, founded the East India Company and engaged in trade with India and Southeast Asia.
The course that the Dutch ships were heading for the Asian colonies made it possible to significantly save time, in addition, it lay in relative proximity to the hypothetical South Land, which the Dutch were actively looking for. It is believed that the first European to reach the coast of Australia was the Dutch captain Willem Janszon. There is documentary evidence of this fact. The inhabitants of the Cape York Peninsula met the sailors of Janszon more than unfriendly, and the captain hastened to set sail. This happened in 1606.
Tasman Voyages
Despite Janszon's negative comments about the new land and its inhabitants, the East India Company continued to send their ships to the local waters. The new governor of Batavia (Jakarta) - Anton Van Diemen - in 1642 instructed Abel Tasman to find new lands at all costs.
Despite the storm, Tasman's ships safely reached the shores of another island, which was named Van Diemen's Land, and years later renamed Tasmania. Abel declared it the possession of the Dutch, but he did not understand that in front of him was an islandor part of the mainland. Then he discovered New Zealand, about which the Europeans knew nothing, and the islands of Tonga and Fiji. It was found that all the islands found earlier are not part of the mainland, conditionally called "New Holland". The borders of the unknown South Land have moved further south.
Dhampir in Australia
Tasman's voyages turned out to be unprofitable. In addition, in the middle of the 17th century, Holland suffered a series of defeats from England and lost its high status. The British explored the southern seas. Of these, W. Dampier was the first to reach the shores of Australia. He sailed twice to Australia (New Holland), explored the northwest coast and wrote two books about it. Thanks to them, the new continent became known to the world (the Dutch kept all their findings a secret).
Cook's first trip
Lieutenant James Cook became famous for his navigational and mapping skills. Therefore, it was his English government who sent him to explore New Zealand and its environs. True, officially he was only supposed to make observations of Venus passing through the solar disk (this event was of interest to astronomers). In addition, James was authorized to stake out all the lands he discovered. When Cook reached Australia, it was 1770. The expedition explored more than 1600 km of the eastern coastline. The lieutenant named these lands New South Wales.
In several strategically important bays, his sailors hoisted Britishflags. Cook also discovered and studied the Great Barrier Reef and established that New Zealand is formed by two islands.
Important discoveries
When James Cook reached Australia, he landed in a bay that later became known as Botany Bay. Here the British saw outlandish plants and animals that were not found in their homeland. It is believed that the bay was named Botany Bay on the initiative of the ship's scientist Banks. At this point, the team immediately began conflicts with the indigenous population. In fact, the colonization of Australia by the British began with the destruction of local residents, who at that time were considered inferior.
Not very far from Botany Bay, Cook found an extremely convenient harbor, which, of course, he reported to the government. Later, the first city on the new continent, Sydney, arose here. The sailors proceeded along the east coast, and then rounded the north. Cook gave names to all important geographical features and drew a map of the coastline. The British were not interested in who first reached the shores of Australia. It was important for them to announce the assignment of these territories. Therefore, they left all sorts of evidence of their stay, hoisted flags and carefully documented their actions.
Cook's travel results
James returned to the shores of New Zealand during the next trip, but did not land in Australia again. His task was to prove that the mysterious Southern Continent did exist. And when Cook reached the coast of Australia, he was alreadyknew for sure, unlike his predecessors, that he was in New Holland, and not somewhere else.
The ships crossed the Arctic Circle and went so far into the high latitudes that they met with drifting ice and icebergs. Cook made the logical conclusion that if the Southern Continent exists, then it is impossible to get to it, and it is of no interest, since it is covered with ice.
As for Australia, already 17 years after its official opening, a ship with convicts from England arrived in Botany Bay, who were supposed to start a new life here.
Conclusions
It is impossible to say with certainty who was the first European to reach the coast of Australia, but it was not Cook. His merit is that he practically rediscovered this continent, studied it carefully and prepared the ground for subsequent colonization.
