Lexi Webster
The first people to discover Australia were the ancestors of modern Aboriginal Australians. They are believed to have arrived between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch, when sea levels were lower than they are today. This migration is thought to have occurred in waves, with people travelling by sea from Timor and New Guinea, when these regions were joined to the Australian continent as part of a single landmass known as Sahul. The journey would have involved advanced planning, paddling on rafts, and navigating across large stretches of water, making it a remarkable maritime achievement. While the exact motives and circumstances of their arrival remain unknown, the discovery and settlement of Australia by these early humans is considered one of their greatest achievements.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of first human inhabitation | 70,000 years ago |
| Date of first European exploration | 16th century |
| Date of first European landing | 1606 |
| First European to land | Willem Janszoon |
| First European to meet Aboriginal people | Willem Janszoon |
| First European to explore the south coast | François Thijssen |
| Date of first European expedition to Tasmania | 1642 |
| First European to explore the northern coast | Abel Tasman |
| Date of first European settlement | 1788 |
| First governor of New South Wales | Arthur Phillip |
| Date gold was discovered | 1851 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The first documented European sighting of Australia was in 1606 by Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon
- Abel Tasman's voyage in 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Tasmania and New Zealand
- In 1788, the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove with about 1,300 colonists
- The first governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip, arrived with instructions to engage peacefully with Indigenous Australians
- In 1860, Burke and Wills led the first south–north crossing of the continent
The first documented European sighting of Australia was in 1606 by Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon
Australia has been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for tens of thousands of years, with archaeological sites dated at more than 30,000 years old. The continent was joined to New Guinea, forming a landmass called Sahul, until rising sea levels separated the two around 8,000 years ago. The Indigenous peoples of these regions are more closely related to each other than to anyone else in the world, suggesting a recent common ancestry.
Prior to documented history, travellers from Asia may have reached Australia. China's control of South Asian waters could have extended to a landing in Australia in the early 15th century. Muslim voyagers who settled in Southeast Asia came within 300 miles (480 km) of Australia, and it is possible that some individuals travelled further.
Following Janszoon's voyage, the Dutch continued to explore and chart the Australian coast throughout the 17th century, naming the continent "New Holland". William Dampier, an English explorer, landed on the northwest coast of New Holland in 1688 and again in 1699, publishing influential descriptions of the Aboriginal people. Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) and New Zealand, and he contributed significantly to the mapping of Australia on his second voyage in 1644.
Women's XL Sizing: Australia vs. the World
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Abel Tasman's voyage in 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Tasmania and New Zealand
Abel Tasman was a Dutch seafarer and explorer, best known for his voyages in 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Tasman became the first European to discover New Zealand and Tasmania, the island state off Australia's southern coast.
Tasman's first significant expedition began in 1642 when he was called by the Dutch East India Company to lead a voyage to explore Australia, or what was then known as the Southern Continent. On August 14, 1642, Tasman's expedition departed from Batavia (Jakarta) with two ships, Heemskerck and Zeehaen. They first sailed towards Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the east African coast, before heading further south. After several weeks of sailing, Tasman and his men first sighted land on November 24, 1642, which he named Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania).
Tasman then continued eastward and discovered the coast of South Island, New Zealand, on December 13, 1642. He explored it northward, entering the strait between North Island and South Island, supposing it to be a bay. This voyage was also the first to encounter the native Maori people of New Zealand. Tasman's expedition provided some of the earliest discoveries of proof of Southern Hemisphere lands, at a time when much of the world was still unknown.
Tasman's ten-month voyage in 1642–43 had significant consequences. By circumnavigating Australia (albeit at a distance), he proved that the continent was not joined to any larger landmass, such as the long-imagined Southern Continent. This dispelled the notion of a massive southern continent, as he demonstrated that Australia was a single landmass.
Airberlin's Australian Adventure: Exploring New Routes Down Under
You may want to see also
Explore related products
In 1788, the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove with about 1,300 colonists
The arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in January 1788 marked the beginning of the European colonisation of Australia. The fleet was made up of 11 ships carrying convicts from Britain to Australia. The ships left Portsmouth in May 1787 with over 1,400 convicts, marines, sailors, colonial officials, and free settlers on board. They travelled over 24,000 kilometres (15,000 miles) and over 250 days before arriving in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788.
Governor Arthur Phillip rejected Botany Bay as the site for the new colony, choosing instead Port Jackson to the north. They arrived at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, establishing the colony of New South Wales as a penal colony—the first British settlement in Australia. The First Fleet's landing at Sydney Cove was a seminal date in Australian history, now marked as Australia Day. The Union Jack was raised, and possession of New South Wales was formally declared.
The exact number of people directly associated with the First Fleet will likely never be established, as accounts of the event vary slightly. A total of 1,420 people have been identified as embarking on the First Fleet in 1787, and 1,373 are believed to have landed at Sydney Cove in January 1788. According to the first census of 1788, the non-indigenous population of the colony was 1,030. However, this number may include only those who arrived at Sydney Cove on the First Fleet and not those who arrived earlier in Botany Bay.
The arrival of the First Fleet changed forever the lives of the Eora people, the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land in the Sydney area. Before colonisation, Eora men speared fish from the shoreline, and women line-fished from their canoes. The relative isolation of the Indigenous population for some 60,000 years meant that they had little resistance to many introduced diseases. An outbreak of smallpox in April 1789 killed about half of the Aboriginal population of the Sydney region.
Stray Animals in Australia: An Alarming Number
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The first governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip, arrived with instructions to engage peacefully with Indigenous Australians
The first documented landing on Australia by a European was in March 1606, when the Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed on the western side of Cape York Peninsula. However, it is believed that Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, and there is evidence that travellers from Asia may have reached Australia before any Europeans.
In January 1788, the British sent a fleet of ships, known as the First Fleet, to establish a penal colony in Sydney, Australia. The fleet consisted of 11 ships, carrying over 1400 people, including 700 convicts. The man chosen to lead this expedition was Arthur Phillip, who would become the first governor of New South Wales.
Upon his arrival, Phillip received instructions from the British government to respect the land rights of Indigenous Australians and to engage peacefully with them. He established a policy of mutual respect, which meant that the British would not interfere in the Indigenous Australians' way of life and vice versa. Phillip's first encounter with the local Aboriginal people took place on 29 January 1788, just two days after the colonists had arrived in Sydney Cove. This meeting was recorded by one of Phillip's officers, Watkin Tench, who described the Indigenous people as "very timid".
Phillip's decision to allow convicts to own land, which was uncommon in other British colonies, led to the displacement of the Indigenous people who were already living in the area. Additionally, the introduction of new animals, such as sheep and cattle, by the British, had a significant impact on the Indigenous people, as they lost access to their traditional hunting grounds. Despite these negative consequences, Arthur Phillip is still remembered as an enlightened leader and an important figure in Australia's history for his commitment to peaceful coexistence with Indigenous Australians.
Who Owns Cottees? Exploring Australian Ownership
You may want to see also
Explore related products
In 1860, Burke and Wills led the first south–north crossing of the continent
Australia's Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent and islands for tens of thousands of years, and traded with nearby islanders in Indonesia. The first documented landing on Australia by a European was in 1606, by the Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon. In the following centuries, various expeditions by explorers from the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom contributed to the mapping of the Australian mainland.
In 1860, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led the first south–north crossing of the continent, from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north. The expedition, originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition, was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV). Burke and Wills, along with John King and Charles Gray, were the first Europeans to make this crossing. The party of nineteen men left Melbourne in winter and made slow progress due to bad weather, poor roads, and broken-down horse wagons. At Menindee on the Darling River, Burke led a smaller group of four, including Wills, King, and Gray, further north to Cooper Creek, where they arrived on November 11, 1860. They continued on to the Gulf of Carpentaria, reaching the Bynoe River in February 1861.
On the return journey, Gray died from malnutrition in April 1861, and the other three men arrived back at Cooper Creek on June 5, 1861, only to find that the rest of their party had departed just hours earlier. Burke and Wills died soon after, on or about June 30, 1861, and their expedition became mythologised in Australian culture as a heroic failure. The expedition added significantly to the European understanding of the Australian landscape and led to the discovery of vast grazing lands, enabling further European settlement of the interior and the displacement of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands.
IVF Treatment Accessibility in Australia: Who Qualifies for Free Care?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, and traded with nearby Indonesian islanders. The first documented landing on Australia by a European was in 1606, by the Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon.
Yes, Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the Torres Strait between the northern tip of Cape York and New Guinea in 1606. Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) and New Zealand. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain.
There is evidence that travellers from Asia may have reached Australia before the Europeans. China’s control of South Asian waters could have extended to a landing in Australia in the early 15th century. Muslim voyagers who visited and settled in Southeast Asia came within 300 miles (480 km) of Australia, and may have reached the continent by wind or current.
