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The Dutch were the first Europeans to discover Australia in 1606 when Willem Janszoon landed in Cape York Peninsula. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) explorer believed he had found the western coastline of New Guinea and missed the Torres Strait altogether. Abel Tasman, another Dutch explorer, discovered Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in 1642. The Dutch charted two-thirds of the Australian coastline in the 17th century and named the island continent New Holland, but they did not attempt to settle it.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Dutch discovery of Australia | 26 February 1606 |
| Dutch navigator | Willem Janszoon |
| Ship | Duyfken (Little Dove) |
| Number of crew members | 20 |
| Number of crew members killed | 9 |
| Continent named | New Holland |
| Other Dutch explorers | François Thijssen, Abel Tasman, William Dampier |
| Year of Abel Tasman's discovery of Tasmania | 1642 |
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What You'll Learn
- Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon made the first recorded European sighting of Australia in 1606
- The Dutch charted two-thirds of the Australian coastline in the 17th century
- Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania in 1642
- The Dutch did not attempt to settle in Australia
- The British claimed Australian territory in 1788
Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon made the first recorded European sighting of Australia in 1606
In the early seventeenth century, Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, also known as Willem Jansz, made the first recorded European sighting of Australia. Born around 1570, Janszoon served as a mate aboard Hollandia, dispatched by the Dutch to the Dutch East Indies, in 1598. He became the father of Jan Willemsz around 1600 before setting sail again in 1601 for the East Indies as the master of Lam.
Janszoon sailed from the Netherlands for the East Indies for the third time on 18 December 1603, as captain of the Duyfken (or Duijfken, meaning 'Little Dove'), one of twelve ships of the great fleet of Steven van der Hagen. On 18 November 1605, the Duyfken sailed from Bantam to the coast of western New Guinea. In February 1606, Janszoon made landfall at the Pennefather River, near modern-day Weipa on the west coast of the Cape York peninsula (northern Queensland). He sighted and mapped the Australian coast, becoming the first European to do so.
Janszoon's mapping was the first of the Dutch voyages that would chart almost two-thirds of the Australian coastline in the 17th century. The Dutch named the island continent ""New Holland"" during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. The Dutch navigators were mainly interested in the lucrative spice trade, which led to the establishment of trading posts all over Southeast Asia. However, they did not find the trade opportunities they sought in Australia.
Janszoon returned to the Netherlands in 1611, believing that the south coast of New Guinea was joined to the land along which he had sailed. Dutch maps reproduced this error for many years. He was awarded a gold chain worth 1,000 guilders in 1619 for his role in capturing four ships of the British East India Company.
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The Dutch charted two-thirds of the Australian coastline in the 17th century
The Dutch were the first Europeans to explore Australia, beginning in February 1606 when Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon landed in Cape York Peninsula. The Dutch charted two-thirds of the Australian coastline in the 17th century. Twenty-nine other Dutch navigators explored the western and southern coasts in the 17th century, dubbing the continent "New Holland".
Willem Janszoon, a mariner from Amsterdam, was instructed by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to explore the Nova Guinea (New Guinea) coast in search of trading opportunities and gold. He captained the Duyfken (Little Dove), setting sail from Bantam (northeast coast of Java) in November 1605 to the Kei Islands. He then sailed along the south coast of New Guinea, which he charted before heading southeast, past the entrance to Torres Strait (separating the Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea).
Janszoon's mapping was the first of the Dutch voyages that would go on to chart almost two-thirds of the Australian coastline in the 17th century. The VOC's connection with the Australian continent began on 26 February 1606 when Willem Janszoon made landfall at Pennefather River, near modern-day Weipa on the west coast of the Cape York peninsula (northern Queensland).
Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight Fiji. On his second voyage in 1644, he also contributed significantly to the mapping of Australia, making observations on the land and people of the north coast below New Guinea. Tasman had been instructed to find a route between Batavia and South America and to inquire about commodities, gold, and silver.
In 1627, the south coast of Australia was accidentally encountered by François Thijssen and Pieter Nuyts, who mapped some 1,300 miles of the south coast, making it all the way to what is now Ceduna in South Australia.
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Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania in 1642
The Dutch were the first Europeans to set foot on Australian soil. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) navigators made the first recorded European sightings of, and first recorded landfalls on, the Australian mainland in 1606. Willem Janszoon, a Dutch navigator, landed in Cape York Peninsula in February 1606.
In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch seafarer and explorer, was appointed by the VOC to lead an expedition to explore the uncharted regions of the Southern Pacific Ocean. His mission was to discover new trade routes and establish trade relations with the native inhabitants. Tasman was a skilled navigator who had participated in several voyages, including one to Japan.
On his first voyage (1642–43), Tasman explored the Indian Ocean, Australasia, and the southern Pacific. He sailed westward to Mauritius, then south to the Roaring Forties, then eastward, and reached the coast of Tasmania, which he named Van Diemen's Land. On 24 November 1642, Tasman sighted the west coast of Tasmania, north of Macquarie Harbour. He named his discovery after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. Tasman thus became the first European to sight Tasmania.
Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight Fiji. On his second voyage in 1644, he contributed significantly to the mapping of Australia proper, making observations on the land and people of the north coast below New Guinea.
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The Dutch did not attempt to settle in Australia
The Dutch were the first Europeans to discover Australia when Willem Janszoon landed on the Cape York Peninsula in February 1606. Over the next two centuries, Dutch expeditions visited the coast of Australia, and Dutch navigators charted almost two-thirds of the Australian coastline. However, the Dutch did not attempt to settle in Australia.
The Dutch navigators dubbed the continent “New Holland”, but this name was not formally claimed as Dutch territory. Instead, the Dutch focused their colonial efforts on other regions, such as the Dutch Cape Colony, Dutch Guyana, the Dutch East Indies, Dutch Ceylon, and the Dutch West Indies. The Dutch East India Company (VOC), a powerful trading company, was also uninterested in pursuing trade and settlement in Australia, despite its global influence and extensive network of trading posts.
There were several reasons why the Dutch did not attempt to settle in Australia. Firstly, the apparent lack of water and fertile soil made the region seem unsuitable for colonisation. The Dutch were also unable to find the resources they sought, such as gold, and the land did not meet their expectations for the fabled "Great Southland". Additionally, the VOC's voyages to Australia brought no rewards in trade, especially when compared to the easy exploitation of the East Indies. The focus of the Dutch at the time was on the lucrative spice trade, which led to the establishment of trading posts across Southeast Asia.
The British, on the other hand, had different motivations for colonising Australia. After losing their American colonies, the British needed a new penal colony to send their prisoners. The climate in Australia was also more compatible with European agriculture than that of Southeast Asia. The race to claim the continent was primarily between the British and the French, with the British aiming to prevent French expansion in the Pacific.
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The British claimed Australian territory in 1788
The Dutch were the first Europeans to set foot on Australian soil in 1606, when Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed in Cape York Peninsula. However, the British claim on Australian territory was established in 1788.
In January 1788, the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay to establish a penal colony, the first colony on the Australian mainland. This marked the beginning of the early British colonial period in Australia, which lasted until 1850. The British claimed territory encompassing all of Australia eastward of the meridian of 135° East, as well as all the islands in the Pacific Ocean between the latitudes of Cape York and the southern tip of Van Diemen's Land (now known as Tasmania). This claim was based on the previous charting of the east coast of Australia by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, who claimed it for Great Britain.
The establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales as part of the British Empire led to the spread of British settlement across Australia. This resulted in an increase in inter-tribal Aboriginal conflict as more people were forced off their traditional lands. Between 1788 and 1868, approximately 161,700 convicts were transported to the Australian colonies of New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land, and Western Australia. The colony spread beyond the official bounds of settlement, and by 1820, British settlement extended to an area within a 100-kilometer radius of Sydney and the central plain of Van Diemen's Land.
The British continued to expand their claim over Australian territory, with Captain J.J.G. Bremer proclaiming sovereignty over all territory west of longitude 129° East in 1824. In 1826, the British claim was further extended to the entire Australian continent when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound. The doctrine of 'terra nullius', proclaimed by Governor Bourke in 1835, reinforced the British claim that Australia was uninhabited when they settled it in 1788, giving them beneficial ownership of the land.
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Frequently asked questions
The Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon made the first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland in February 1606.
Willem Janszoon was a Dutch navigator who captained the ship Duyfken, which set sail from Bantam, Java, in November 1605. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606 and made landfall on 26 February at the Pennefather River.
The Dutch were interested in Australia primarily because of the lucrative spice trade, which led to establishing trading posts all over Southeast Asia. Dutch voyages to Australia were also motivated by the search for gold.
