Australia, as a continent, was not “discovered” by a single individual but rather encountered by various explorers over time. The term “discovery” often refers to European exploration and recognition of the continent, despite Indigenous Australians having inhabited the land for tens of thousands of years prior. The first confirmed European sighting of Australia occurred in 1606 by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon aboard the Duyfken, along the western coast of Cape York Peninsula in what is now Queensland. This marked the initial European contact with Australia’s coastline.
In subsequent decades, Dutch explorers made further significant contributions to the mapping and understanding of Australia. In 1616, Dirk Hartog landed on the west coast of Australia and left behind an inscribed plate, now known as the Hartog Plate, marking one of the earliest physical pieces of evidence of European contact with the continent.
The most well-known early explorer associated with Australia is the Englishman James Cook, who voyaged along the eastern coast of Australia in 1770. Cook’s expedition aboard the HMS Endeavour charted extensive areas of the Australian coastline, including landing at Botany Bay in New South Wales. His exploration contributed greatly to European knowledge of the geography and natural resources of the continent.
Despite these notable European expeditions, it is crucial to acknowledge that Indigenous Australians had already been living across the continent for at least 65,000 years prior to European arrival. They had developed rich cultures, societies, and relationships with the land long before Europeans began to explore and later colonize Australia.
The concept of “discovery” is thus complex when discussing Australia, as it involves understanding European navigational expeditions alongside the millennia-long history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ occupation and stewardship of the land. Today, efforts are ongoing to recognize and honor the enduring cultures and histories of Australia’s First Nations peoples, who have consistently maintained their connections to the land throughout the country’s history.
In summary, while various European explorers contributed to the European understanding and mapping of Australia, the continent was already inhabited and known to its Indigenous peoples for millennia. The notion of “discovery” in this context must therefore be considered within the broader historical and cultural perspectives of both Indigenous and European interactions with the land now known as Australia.