What names are associated with the discovery of Australia? A Brief History of Australia. Last honors to the captain
Australia is one of the most exotic English-speaking countries in the world. Thanks to its high standard of living and attractive immigration policies, many are considering it as a place to live or work. If you are learning English to move to Australia, either for work, study or pleasure, it will be useful to gain a basic understanding of the country's history.
Prehistoric Australia
About 50 thousand years ago, the first people arrived on the southern continent of Australia - the earliest sea travelers in the world. Geologists believe that at that time the island of New Guinea in the north and Tasmania in the south were part of the continent.
After several thousand years, the continent began to be actively populated. The earliest archaeological discovery of human remains in Australia is the so-called Mungo man, who lived approximately 40 thousand years ago. From it, scientists determined that the first inhabitants of Australia were massive and tall people.
In prehistory, Australia was settled by people over several waves. About 5 thousand years ago, with another stream of settlers, the dingo dog appeared on the mainland - the only non-marsupial Australian predator. Only by the 2nd millennium BC did the Australian aborigines acquire their modern appearance, evolving and mixing with newly arrived settlers.
The Aborigines formed diverse tribes with their own languages, cultures, religions and traditions. At the time of the discovery of Australia by Europeans, about 500 tribes lived on the mainland, speaking about 250 different languages. None of them had a written language, so their history is poorly known. They used symbolic drawings, retelling ancient legends in them. These myths and archaeological finds- the only data that historians studying Australia can use.
Since people began to inhabit Australia quite a long time ago (for comparison, people arrived in America only 13 thousand years ago, a full 27 thousand years later) and did not experience the influence of the rest of the world before the arrival of Europeans, the Australian Aboriginal civilization is considered one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world.
European continental exploration
It is officially believed that Australia was discovered by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606. He sailed to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north of the mainland and landed on the Cape York Peninsula - the northernmost point of Australia, which is located only 160 kilometers from New Guinea. A year before him, the Spaniard Luis Vaez Torres swam in these waters, who passed very close to the Australian coast and even supposedly saw land on the horizon, but mistook it for another archipelago.
There are several other alternative theories for the discovery of Australia. According to one of them, Portuguese sailors discovered the mainland before Willem Janszoon. The flotilla under the leadership of de Siqueira explored the route to the Moluccas and sent several expeditions around the archipelago. One such expedition, led by Mendonça in 1522, supposedly visited the northwestern shores of Australia.
The theory of the early discovery of Australia seems plausible, since it was on the west coast that 16th century cannons were found in the 20th century. Unusual finds have been repeatedly discovered on the mainland, which can only be explained by the early voyages of Europeans to the Australian shores. However, these theories are considered controversial. In addition, the discovery of Australia remained unknown to Europe until the voyages of the Dutch.
Janszoon declared the found territories the possession of the Netherlands, although the Dutch never began to develop them. Over the next few decades, the Dutch continued to explore Australia. In 1616 West Coast visited Derk Hartog, three years later Frederic de Houtman explored several hundred kilometers of coastline. In 1644, Abel Tasman began his famous sea voyages, during which he discovered New Zealand, Tasmania, Fiji and Tonga, and also proved that Australia is a separate continent.
The Dutch explored only the west coast of Australia; the rest of the coastline and inland remained unexplored until the voyages of James Cook a century later, in 1769. It was believed that New Holland (the first name of Australia) discovered by the Dutch did not belong to the hypothetical southern continent Terra Australis Incognita, the existence of which had been suspected since ancient times. New Holland was an inhospitable place with a difficult climate and hostile natives, so for a long time they showed no interest in it.
In the mid-18th century, the British came up with the idea of exiling convicts to the islands of the Southern Ocean or to a supposedly existing continent called the Unknown Southland. In 1769, English Lieutenant James Cook set sail on the ship Endeavor to Tahiti on a secret mission to find the Southern Continent and explore the shores of New Holland.
Cook sailed to the east coast of Australia and landed at Botany Bay. Having examined the coastal lands, he concluded that they were quite favorable for founding a colony. Cook then traveled along the coast in a northwesterly direction and found a strait between Australia and New Guinea (thus proving that this island is not part of the mainland). The navigator did not complete the task of finding the Southern Continent.
During his second expedition around the world, Cook explored the southern latitudes and came to the conclusion that there were no large lands in them except Australia. The dreams of Terra Australis were destroyed, but a free name remained. In 1814, the English navigator Matthew Flinders proposed calling New Holland Australia. By that time, colonies from several states already existed on the mainland, which did not immediately accept the proposal, but over time began to use this name. In 1824 it became official.
British colonization of Australia
Cook recommended Botany Bay for settlement. The first fleet with settlers set off here in 1787. These were convicts - but for the most part not malicious criminals, robbers and murderers, but former traders and farmers sentenced to short terms for minor crimes. Many of them were soon given pardons and allocated plots for farms. The rest of the settlers were infantrymen with their families, officers and other employees.
The ships found a convenient place for colonization near Botany Bay - Port Jackson Bay, where they founded a settlement in Sydney Cove. The founding date of the colony, 26 January 1788, later became a national holiday, Australia Day. A month later, the governor of the settlement officially announced the creation of a colony, which was called New South Wales. The settlement began to be named after the British Minister of the Interior, Viscount Sydney. This is how the city of Sydney appeared - now the largest and most developed in Australia.
The governor of the colony tried to improve relations with the aborigines, helped convicts reform, established trade and Agriculture. The first years were difficult for the settlers: there was not enough food, the convicts had few professional skills, and new convicts arriving in the colony turned out to be sick and disabled after a long and difficult voyage. But the governor managed to develop the colony, and from 1791 its affairs began to go uphill.
Living conditions for convicts were harsh. They had to do a lot of work to create a colony: build houses and roads, help farmers. They starved and suffered severe punishments. But the pardoned prisoners remained in Australia, received their allotments and could employ convicts themselves. One of these former prisoners grew the first successful wheat crop in 1789. Soon the colony began to provide itself with food.
In 1793, the first free settlers arrived in Sydney (not counting the military guarding the convicts). They were given land free of charge, provided with agricultural equipment for the first time, and given the right to free movement and use of prison labor.
Mainland exploration
After the founding of the colony, exploration of Australia continued. Europeans used the services of local guides, so most trips were successful. In 1813, the Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth expedition traversed the Blue Mountains ranges west of Sydney and found extensive grazing lands. In 1824, the expedition of Hume and Howell made many important discoveries, discovered the Murray River and its tributaries, and discovered many new pastures.
In 1828, Charles Sturt discovered the Darling River and reached the point where the Murray River flows into the Great Australian Bight. Then a whole series of expeditions followed, filling in the gaps of previous research. European and Australian explorers retained many of the original place names instead of giving them their own. In 1839, the Polish traveler Strzelecki climbed the most high peak Australia - Mount Kosciuszko in the Australian Alps.
In 1829, Great Britain claimed the entire western part of Australia. The colony of New South Wales was divided into several, the colonies of Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, and Swan River appeared. Settlers gradually spread throughout the continent. The major cities of Melbourne and Brisbane were founded at this time.
The Aborigines, under the pressure of European colonists, retreated from the coasts inland. Their numbers were greatly reduced due to diseases brought by the settlers. In the mid-19th century, the entire indigenous population was moved to reservations, many by force.
By 1840, the tradition of sending convicts to Australia began to be forgotten, and after 1868 it was no longer practiced.
Golden fever
In the 1850s, the gold rush began in Australia. The British authorities established licenses for gold mining, which did not please the gold miners. In 1854, prospectors from Ballarat launched what is now known as the Eureka Rebellion. The rebels created the Ballarat Reform League and presented a number of demands to the government: introduce universal suffrage, cancel gold mining licenses, and abolish property restrictions for parliamentary candidates.
The resistance of the gold miners was crushed, they were arrested and put on trial. But the court did not find the rebels guilty. Many of the miners' demands were satisfied: their licenses were canceled and they were given the right to appeal to parliament. The Eureka Rebellion stimulated the development of liberalism in Australia. This event became one of the key events in the history of the country.
In 1855, New South Wales gained the right to self-government, remaining part of the British Empire. Other Australian colonies soon followed. Their governments dealt with internal affairs, while Great Britain continued to be in charge of foreign policy, defense and trade.
The Gold Rush sparked an economic boom in Australia. The next few decades were prosperous for Australians. In the 1890s, the economic situation began to deteriorate, at the same time the labor movement began to grow, new political parties began to emerge, and the Australian colonies began to think about unification.
Commonwealth of Australia
For ten years, the colonies discussed the issue of unification and prepared to create a single country. In 1901 they created the Commonwealth of Australia - federal state, which was a dominion of the British Empire. In the early years, the capital of the Union was the city of Melbourne, but already in 1911, the future capital of Australia, the city of Canberra, began to be built on the specially designated Federal Capital Territory. In 1927, the city was completed and the Union government settled in it.
A little later, the Federation included several territories that had previously been subordinate to Great Britain: the islands of Norfolk, Cartier and Ashmore. It was assumed that Australia would include New Zealand, but she preferred to seek independence from Great Britain on her own.
Australia's economy was heavily dependent on exports. The country had to import large quantities of grain and wool. The Great Depression, which began in the United States in 1929, and the subsequent global economic crisis severely affected Australia. The unemployment rate rose to a record 29%.
In 1931, the British Parliament adopted the Statute of Westminster, which established the position of the dominions. According to it, the British dominions received full official independence, but retained the right of the British monarch to hold the post of head of state. Australia only ratified this statute in 1942, becoming effectively independent from Great Britain.
History of Australia after independence
Second World War boosted Australia's economy. The Australians received a promise of protection from the United States in the event of a Japanese attack, so they took part in hostilities without risk to themselves. After the war, many residents of dilapidated Europe decided to move to Australia. The Australian government encouraged immigration, wanting to increase the country's population and attract talented professionals.
By 1975, two million immigrants had arrived in Australia. Most of them are former residents of Great Britain and Ireland. Thus, the majority of the Australian population are carriers in English, which transformed into the Australian dialect. Official language the state does not.
In the 70s, the Australian government carried out a number of important reforms, the significance of which remains to this day: free higher education, abolition of compulsory military service, recognition of Aboriginal rights to land and others. From a former convict colony, Australia has become a highly developed country with one of the most high levels immigration.
The name of the English navigator James Cook is inextricably linked with Australia in the minds of most people. Some are sure that Cook is its discoverer, others, recalling the humorous song of Vladimir Vysotsky, are sure of the sad connection between the local population and the death of Captain Cook. The beloved bard of the entire post-Soviet space, indeed, caused great confusion, being right in only one thing - James Cook was killed by Aborigines, but not Australians and not for the purpose of cannibalism.
By the time Captain Cook set out on his first trip around the world(1767-1771), during which it passed between the east coast of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian continent was already partially marked on geographical and nautical charts. The western shores were roughly indicated and partially described, but, of course, there were still many blank spots, and all East Coast was completely unexplored.
The Search for Terra Incognito
Looking into history, I remember the expression “Terra Incognita”, or rather “Terra Australis Incognita” - Unknown Southern Land, as medieval geographers of the Roman Empire called a part of the land that, in their opinion, should be located somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. This hypothesis existed for quite a long time and was the reason for numerous marine explorations not only by scientists and travelers, but also by adventurers from different countries eager to get rich. In search of this mythical Southern land, the islands of Oceania, Australia and New Zealand were discovered.
The first information about the sighted outlines of an unknown land came from the Portuguese. It is known that they secretly searched for islands with gold and rare spices; in one of these voyages in 1522, the first landing on the shores of the northwestern coast of Australia was carried out. And although reliable evidence has not survived, ancient maps of Portuguese origin that have survived to this day show part of the coast of the Great Australian Land.
Later, in 1605-1606, a Spanish expedition with captain Luis Vaez Torres, in search of the unexplored Southern land, having discovered the New Hebrides archipelago, rounded the coast of New Guinea from the south and passed by a number of big islands, unable to disembark due to strong currents and numerous shoals. During this voyage, Spanish navigators proved that New Guinea is an island, and became the first Europeans to navigate the strait, dangerous due to coral reefs, separating it from Australia. For 150 long years, the Spanish government managed to keep its discovery secret, until, during the Seven Years' War, documents with maps fell into the hands of the British.
At the same time, in 1606, the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon landed on the northernmost point of Australia, Cape York Peninsula. The discovered lands were named New Holland and declared possessions of the Netherlands. Having followed the coast to the south, in one of the bays the team first met the Australian aborigines. The expedition's cartographer mapped a detailed image of the discovered coast and some of the nearby islands.
In 1616, the Dutchman Dirk Hartog discovered the western coast of Australia and walked along the coast for about 300 km. In 1619, the coastline off modern Perth and further north was explored. In subsequent years, Dutch ships regularly visited the shores of the new land they discovered, described and mapped bays and bays, replenished drinking water supplies on their ships, but all the time noted the inhospitability and etherealness of the coasts of Australia. One day, a whole tragedy unfolded when one of the ships, traveling with passengers to the island of Java, was severely damaged during a storm, and about 300 surviving people were able to escape on one of the islands. Not finding enough water and food there, the captain swam on a boat to the coast of Australia, walked along 250 km, but could not find drinking water. He had to sail for help to the island of Java, and when he returned to those remaining on the island, more than half of those who had escaped the shipwreck were killed by several rebellious sailors who wanted to leave the island and become pirates. This story became the basis of many books and plays.
Secret mission of the British Kingdom
But let's return to James Cook and his contribution to the discovery of Australia. The British Admiralty, equipping an expedition to the Southern Hemisphere to the island of Tahiti, officially announced its goal as astronomical observations of the movement of Venus, while in secret orders Captain Cook's primary task was to move south and find the Southern Continent. The British Kingdom urgently needed new colonies. After completing the official assignment, Cook headed to New Zealand, discovered a previously unknown strait between its islands, which was named Cook Strait, and in 1770 discovered the eastern coast of Australia. Parking in one of the bays of the coast, the botanists who were part of the expedition discovered and described many unknown and unusual plants, and for this occasion the bay was named Botanical.
Moving to the northwest and finding himself sandwiched between the shores of Australia and a huge ridge of coral reefs that did not allow access to the open ocean, James Cook discovered a strait between Australia and New Guinea, until then considered part of Australian land. The main most important task of the leadership, the discovery of new lands of the elusive Southern continent, was never completed. It must be said that neither on Captain Cook’s second nor third voyage around the world did he manage to find Antarctica. This was done in 1820 by Russian navigators Mikhail Lazorev and Thaddeus Bellingshausen.
Death of James Cook
In 1776, Great Britain equipped a third expedition led by Captain James Cook, whose task was to open a passage through North America connecting the Pacific and atlantic oceans. During this voyage, a group of new islands was discovered, which he called Sandwich, and subsequently the name Hawaiian was assigned to them. The first acquaintance with the local population took place, offerings and gifts were exchanged. When Cook went ashore, the natives prostrated themselves and showed increased signs of respect and attention, as if he were one of their gods.
After a short rest, the team moved to the shores of North America to continue research on instructions from the Admiralty, and then returned to Hawaii again for repairs, rest and replenishment of supplies. It should be noted that in those days Cook was one of the rare European explorers of new lands who sought to establish relationships with the aborigines through negotiations, exchange of goods and establishing communication. While most other sailors unceremoniously massacred entire villages if they were refused to supply food supplies to their ships for free.
As in his previous travels, the captain filled his ships with gifts and goods for exchange, and was determined to establish friendly communication with the indigenous population. But this time everything went differently. After a short stop to repair ships on one of the islands, the aborigines, who initially joyfully greeted the Europeans, began to change their attitude towards them. Conflicts and misunderstandings began, as did the theft of things and tools. James Cook decided to urgently complete repairs and leave the islands.
Sailing from Hawaii, the crew was caught in a storm, the ship was severely damaged and was forced to return. But they were not welcome at all, and clashes continued. During the next conflict, the British were forced to use weapons; in the ensuing turmoil, Cook was killed with a spear and his body was carried deep into the island.
Last honors to the captain
Legends and numerous stories that arose after the death of the great navigator are certainly based on information about the cruelty and bloodthirstiness of the aborigines of Oceania, the Pacific Islands and other corners of the earth remote from civilization. Many tribes of warm latitudes practiced cannibalism, obeying their culture and religion. On Hawaiian Islands the religion was based on the worship of living nature and the spirits of ancestors; the aborigines revered many gods. There were complex rituals of worship and strict religious rules, and human sacrifices were performed. The second captain of the expedition, after unsuccessful negotiations to return Cook's body back to the ship, carried out a punitive operation, destroying coastal settlements. The captain's body was returned in separate fragments, the severed head missing its jaw. What exactly the aborigines wanted to do—eat their enemy or use his remains in rituals according to their laws—one can only guess. The remaining members of the expedition buried the great traveler in the waters of the bay, which was later called sacred.
Australia is the smallest and furthest continent from Eurasia. During the Middle Ages it was called Terra Australis Incognita, which translated meant “unknown southern land" Who discovered the mainland of Australia, and in what year did this happen?
Official version
Humanity became aware of new territory thanks to the traveler and navigator James Cook. His goals included studying the passage of Venus through the solar disk. It is assumed that the real reason Cook's trip was a search for uncharted lands in the southern latitudes of Terra Australis Incognita. He set out on a trip around the world and discovered distant lands, reaching the coast of the mainland in 1770. This date is considered historically accurate. But the existence of a piece of land “at the ends of the earth” was known much earlier. In addition, there were human settlements there. It is difficult to determine the date of their foundation; approximately it happened 40 - 60 thousand years ago. Artifacts found in western Australia on the Swan River date back to that period.
Who discovered the mainland of Australia in prehistoric times?
Scientists suggest that the first travelers to travel to land by ocean were the ancient Egyptians. They brought eucalyptus oil from these regions.
This version is confirmed cave drawings with insects similar to Egyptian sacred scarabs. In addition, mummies were found in tombs in Egypt, embalming them with oil from eucalyptus trees grown in Australia.
However, all these theories are not officially accepted, since the existence of a continent lost in the sea in Europe became known much later.
Who first discovered Australia?
Attempts to reach the continent were made several times. In the 16th century sea route The Portuguese set off. In 1509 they reached the Moluccas, and in 1522 they found themselves on the northwestern coast. These dates are considered the first time the continent was founded by Europeans.
There is also a hypothesis that Australia was discovered by Admiral Willem Janszoon, who arrived on the continent on behalf of the Dutch authorities. He undertook a campaign in 1605. The ship Dyfken was equipped for this purpose. He followed the direction of New Guinea and after three months of travel reached the Cape York Peninsula. The navigator compiled a detailed map of the coast with a length of 320 km. He did not even suspect that he had discovered a new continent, considering the lands to be the territories of New Guinea. Therefore they were given the name "New Holland".
Abel Tasman sailed after him to the mainland. He explored the islands on the west coast and plotted their outlines on the world map. One of the islands, Tasmania, is named after the discoverer.
Thus, by the 17th century, thanks to the efforts of Dutch travelers, the position of the continent of Australia and its islands on the world map became known.
What is the history of Australia? Let us briefly consider the events associated with its discovery. Some researchers have expressed their assumptions that the first Europeans to reach the shores of Australia at the beginning of the seventeenth century were the Portuguese.
What is the history of discovery and exploration of Australia? This information is briefly presented in encyclopedias, but they do not contain interesting points that confirm travelers’ interest in this territory. Among the evidence that it was the Portuguese who became the discoverers of Australia, the following arguments can be cited:
- The Dieppe maps, which were published in mid-16th century France, show a large area of land between Antarctica and Indonesia called Java la Grande. All explanations and symbols on the map are in Portuguese and French.
- At the beginning of the sixteenth century, there were Portuguese colonies in Southeast Asia. For example, the island of Timor, which is located 650 kilometers from the Australian coast, was attributed specifically to Portuguese travelers.
French "trace"
What else Interesting Facts contains the history of the discovery of Australia and Oceania? Let us briefly tell you that the French navigator Binot Polmier de Gonneville said that it was he who landed on unknown lands near the Cape of Good Hope in 1504. This happened after his ship was blown off its intended course by the winds. Thanks to this statement, it was this traveler who was long credited with the discovery of Australia. After some time, it was found out that he ended up on the coast of Brazil.
Discovery of Australia by the Dutch
Let's continue the conversation about the history of the discovery of Australia and Oceania. Let us briefly dwell on the first indisputable fact documented in the winter of 1606. The expedition of the Dutch East India Company, led by Willem Janson, managed to land on the coast with his comrades aboard the ship "Golubok". After sailing from the island of Java, they went to the southern part of New Guinea, moving along it; after some time, the Dutch expedition managed to reach the shores of the Cape York Peninsula, located in the northern part of Australia. The crew 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 discussed in the school course on geography. The expedition did not see which divides the coasts of Australia and New Guinea. On February 26, team members landed near what is now the city of Weipa. The Dutch were immediately attacked by the aborigines. Later, Janson and his people explored about 350 kilometers of the Australian coast, sometimes making landings. His crew constantly ran into hostile natives, so several Dutch sailors were killed during brutal battles with the natives. The captain decided to return. He never realized that he and his team managed to discover a new continent. 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 expeditions in the hope of enriching themselves with jewelry and spices, and not at all for serious geographical discoveries.
Luis Vaez de Torres
Briefly describing the history of the exploration of Australia, we can also talk 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 written evidence of this hypothesis has not been found. After some time, the strait began to be called Torres Strait in honor of Luis Vaez de Torres.
Notable expeditions
The history of the discovery and exploration of Australia is also of interest, briefly telling the story of the journey of another ship of the Dutch East India Company, captained by Dirk Hartog. In 1616 the ship managed to reach west bank Australia, near Shark Bay. For three days, the sailors explored the coast and also explored the islands located nearby. The Dutch did not find anything interesting, so Hartog decided to continue sailing, heading north along the coastline, which had not been explored before. The team then headed to Batavia.
Where is the history of the discovery of Australia described? Briefly 7th grade is studying information about expeditions here from Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, teachers talk about how in 1619 Jacob d'Erdel and Frederic de Houtman set out on two ships to explore the Australian coast. As they moved north, they discovered a strip of reefs called Houtman Rock.
Continuing research
After this expedition, other Dutch sailors repeatedly found themselves off these shores, calling the land New Holland. They did not even try to explore the coast, since 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 describes the exploration of the northern and western coasts. The Dutch concluded that the northern lands were infertile and unsuitable for use. The sailors did not see eastern and southern shores, therefore Australia was unfairly considered uninteresting for use.
First buildings
In the summer of 1629, the East India Company ship Batavia found itself at Houtman Rocks due to a shipwreck. Soon there was a mutiny, as a result of which part of the crew built a small fort for protection. It became the first European building in Australia. Geographers suggest that at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, about fifty European ships reached the territory of Australia.
The history of the exploration and settlement of Australia briefly tells about the discoveries made by ships. In 1642, he tried to circumnavigate New Holland from the south, and discovered an island called Van Diemen's Land. After some time it was renamed Tasmania. With subsequent advancement to the east, after some time, the ships ended up near New Zealand. Tasman's first voyage was not successful; the travelers failed to get closer to Australia.
The history of Australia briefly tells us that only in 1644 Tasman was able to study the north-west coast in detail, to prove that all the lands that were discovered and analyzed in earlier expeditions were parts of one continent.
English Studies
The history of Australia briefly notes the English contribution to its research. 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 the 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 repairs 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 during this trip he did not find anything interesting, so the Admiralty decided to stop funding the expedition.
Cook's Expedition
When telling the history of the discovery of Australia, one cannot leave without due attention the expedition of 1170, led by Lieutenant James Cook. On the sailing ship "Attempt" his team went to the South Pacific Ocean. The official purpose of the expedition was to make astronomical observations, but in fact Cook received tasks from the Admiralty to study the southern part of the continent. Cook believed that since New Holland has a western coast, it follows that there must be an eastern one.
At the end of April 1770, an English expedition landed on the eastern coast of Australia. The landing site was first called Stingray Bay, then it was renamed Botany Bay due to unusual plants that were discovered there.
The discovered lands were named New Wales by Cook, and then the New Englishman did not even realize how large-scale the discovery he had made was.
British colonies
They decided to colonize the lands that Cook had discovered, 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 that created 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 various materials and supplies here. During the voyage, 278 convicts and crew members died, which is why history calls it the “Deadly 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 former prisoners moved here from other colonies.
Conclusion
It was developed almost fifty thousand years before its official discovery by European travelers. For centuries, people with their own unique culture and religion lived in the arid deserts and tropical jungles of the continent. 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 beds of the Macquarie and Lochlan rivers, geographers call John Oxley. Robert Burke became the first Englishman to cross the mainland from north to south. The discovery of Australia was the result of centuries-long searches by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British of the southern country.
In 2006, archaeologists discovered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs in Australia. This fact led to the formulation of an original hypothesis about the discovery of a contingent by the Egyptians.
Scientists have agreed that the most likely time for the discovery of Australia can be considered 1606. It was then that the famous Dutchman V. Janszoon explored the northeastern part - the Cape York Peninsula.
The history of the settlement of Australia is briefly outlined in this material. Until now, it is associated with numerous mysteries that scientists have yet to solve. For example, cannons discovered during archaeological excavations suggest that the Portuguese visited this territory in the fifteenth century. Scientists managed to draw up a complete map of the British colony, which was Australia, only at the beginning of the last century.
Physico-geographical position of Australia
Of all the continents on the planet, the most small is the mainland of Australia, which is why it is sometimes called mainland-island. Australia lies entirely in Southern Hemisphere relative to the equator and Eastern Hemisphere relative to the prime meridian. Any point on its surface will only have southern latitude but only east longitude. Runs through the middle of the continent South Tropic, therefore it is located in two lighting belts– the northern part is in the hot zone, and South part located in the temperate zone. The area of the continent is slightly more than $7.6 million sq. km.
Northern tip of Australia - Cape York, located $10$ degrees south of the equator and $142$ degrees away from the prime meridian. Southern tip – Cape South East Point located on the $39$ parallel and $146$ meridian. The westernmost point is Cape Steep Point– $26$ parallel and $113$ meridian and, finally, Cape Byron– the eastern extreme point of Australia is located at the $28$ parallel and $153$ meridian. The coordinates of the extreme points indicate that the continent has short length, both from north to south – $3.5 thousand km, and from west to east – about $4 thousand km.
Washed by water on three sides Indian Ocean , and only the eastern shores are washed Pacific Ocean . The shores of the continent are directly washed by the seas of these oceans - Tasmanovo and Coral sea in the east, Arafura and Timor in the north. Coastline cut up weak, so the outlines of the mainland are simple. The northern coast is more dissected, where a shallow and widely open bay juts deep into the land. Carpentaria. In the south is Great Australian bay. To the south of the mainland lies a large island Tasmania, separated from Australia Basov Strait. Along the northern and eastern shores there are warm currents. Except Eurasia and Antarctica Australia is located far from all other continents. Towards Europe she is one of the most remote regions world and lies away from the main world trade ways. Within the continent there is only one state - Commonwealth of Australia. The largest city of the country is its capital - the city Canberra.
History of the discovery of the continent
The ancestors of modern Australian aborigines appeared in Australia $42$-$48$ thousand years ago. They managed to move from modern South-East Asia and were engaged in hunting and gathering. They had their own culture and spiritual values based on the worship of the earth. European scientists up until the 18th century believed in the existence of a fourth continent in the Southern Hemisphere, which was supposed to serve counterweight and did not allow the Earth to capsize. The misconception was dispelled when navigators of the late 18th century discovered a huge ocean with many islands, the largest of which would later be named Australia. In January 1504, on behalf of the King of France, he took possession of this island-continent. Bino Polmier de Gonneville. From the port Honfleur on a small caravel" Hope"He headed to India. The ships of all major maritime powers in that era were traveling the same route, but Bino's caravel accidentally deviated from its course due to a severe thunderstorm and on the same day approached the paradise land in the Southern Hemisphere. France could not celebrate the discovery of a new land because Gonneville could not pinpoint in which direction he had veered off course. French sailors searched for this land in vain.
A Dutch navigator managed to reach its shores Willem Janszoon. In the 17th century, the Dutch pressed the Spaniards and Portuguese at sea, equipping large expeditions to search for new lands. So Janszon, on behalf of the East India Trading Company, explored the coast New Guinea. In $1606, his ship landed on the shore of an unknown land, and the expedition landed on shore. It was West Side peninsula Cape York. Janszon assumed that this was still New Guinea, but, nevertheless, named this land after himself. They were greeted by wetlands and hostile natives. This date is still considered the date of the discovery of the mainland.
Note 1
In the $40s of the $17th century. The Dutch again organized an expedition to find a way to Chile where no one would interfere with them. The expedition was commanded Abel Tasman. He discovered the island Tasmania, New Zealand, the archipelagos of Fiji and Tonga, over the course of many years, explored the coast of Janszon and discovered that it stretches for thousands of kilometers. As a result, he was able to prove that this land was not part of the Southern continent, but a completely independent continent and named it New Holland. The Dutch did not disclose their discoveries, fearing English competition, and open land was too meager with a small population. Interest in her was quickly lost.
Australia Exploration
New Holland was surveyed in $1699$. William Dampier- famous English pirate. Observing the life of the Australian Aborigines, he concluded that they are not familiar with metal processing, do not know agriculture and cattle breeding, and in most cases do not differ from Stone Age people. Despite the fact that Dampier's notes were a huge success among his compatriots, the British did not show interest in this distant land for a long time, and only in $1770 an expedition to southern seas. The famous English captain went on this expedition James Cook on a small boat" Endeavor». Its goal is to conduct astronomical research. In addition to this there was also secret order- explore the coast of New Holland and declare them an English colony, which was done.
Australia and New Zealand were open to European colonization. The part of the continent explored by Cook was named N.S.W. and was declared a possession of England. By decision of the English government, these lands were to be developed exiled convicts. In January 1788, the first 11 ships arrived on Australian shores, carrying 1030 people - more than half of them prisoners. In the place where they landed and founded a settlement, in the future it became the largest city in the country - Sydney.
Note 2
From Sydney begins an internal study of the mainland, the purpose of which was to search for water, minerals, pastures for livestock, and conditions suitable for the life of settlers. The south-eastern part of Australia was explored Lawson, Evans, Oxley, Hume and others in the first half of the 19th century. As a result of these studies, Australian Alps, Blue Mountains, Mount Liverpool, Flinders, Gawler. The river system was discovered Murray-Darling Lake Torrens, Eyre. The northeastern part and its mountainous region were explored by a German scientist Leichard, which ran along the Great Dividing Range to the Gulf of Carpentaria. In August $1860 $g. expedition R. Burke and V. Wills crossed the continent from south to north. At the same time, a second expedition is going through the center of the continent to the gulf. Van Diemen's, whose leader was D. Stewart. He discovered the central mountain ranges and along his route in $1870$-$1872$. lay a line transcontinental telegraph. Later settlements appeared along it. The desert was open to the west of the telegraph line Gibson, Lake Amadius, Jory Giles Mountains, named after the leader of the expedition, who later passed Great desert Victoria.
In Sydney in $1883$ it is organized Geographical Society Australia, with branches in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane. Expeditions to study the central parts of the continent are sent under the auspices of this society. The materials collected by the researchers make it possible to lay a large cattle track from south to north through the desert regions of Western Australia. During this period, large deposits are discovered gold, and the territory covers " Golden fever" Exploration of the continent continues throughout the $XX$ century. New mineral deposits are being discovered, and the nature of the continent is being studied. The development of new lands was accompanied by cruel humiliation of the indigenous population, as a result of which the vast majority of Australian aborigines were exterminated. Many explorers of the continent also died or disappeared without a trace, but their work was not lost, but contributed to the rapid economic development of habitable territories.