how was australia discovered?

Answer 1

by mistake..bloody aussies

Answer 2

Despite some of the other answers "discovered" is the correct word. What's missing is the next word "to". The continent, or at least part of it was "discovered to" Europeans in 1606. It was also discovered to other Europeans in bits and pieces over the next 200 years. Captain Cook mapped the east coast in 1770 very accurately, and parts of the southern coast were mapped by a French expedition around 1805 and by Matthew Flinders who also mapped a good amount of the northern coasts.

It is quite true that the Australian aboriginals always knew the place was here. So did people from New Guinea, and a lot of people in what is now called Indonesia. Others who knew about it, or at least suspected were the Maori in New Zealand since they sometimes saw smoke from Australian bushfires coming from the west.

It is also quite true that early settlers killed thousands of aboriginal people directly over perhaps 150 years. It is also true that aboriginal people managed to dispose of a few hundred colonists. But the main killers of the aboriginal people were European diseases, just as they had been in South and North America. There is no evidence that these diseases were deliberately introduced to Australia.

But for accidents of history the continent could have been taken over by the Chinese, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the French or the Dutch to name the most likely other colonisers. The Maori might even have managed it given a few hundred more years.

Answer 3

Assuming you mean discovery by Europeans, the 1606 sighting of Cape York is correct.

A fun story that answers the question of "how" they discovered Australia is how Europeans discovered the west coast of Australia. The Dutch had set up trading posts in Indonesia, and discovered the quickest way to get there was to head east from south Africa and use the Roaring 40s as a tail wind, then hang a left and head north to Indonesia. The trouble was that in the 1600 and 1700s, judging longitude was tricky, and there weren't many landmarks in the Southern Ocean, so occasionally the ships would not turn left soon enough. A number of ships "discovered" western Australia by running into it.

Answer 4

G'day, mate!

The earliest evidence for human settlement of Australia dates back about 42 - 48,000 years ago. Hunter-gatherers from Southeast Asia migrated to the continent via land bridges, short sea crossings, etc.; these were the ancestors of the Australian Aborigines.

It wasn't until 1606 that the first confirmed sighting by European peoples occurred (making this the last continent, besides Antarctica, to be discovered by the Europeans). The sighting was made by Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon, and heralded a century of Dutch exploration and mapping. It was the Brits, however, that would establish the first European settlement. Following James Cook's charting of the region in 1770, Captain Arthur Phillip established the Port Jackson colony (in present-day Sydney) for the British Empire on January 26, 1788; this date is now celebrated as Australia Day.

The colonies were initially largely used as penal colonies for prisoners. This practice ceased by about 1864, however, and the Australian colonies gradually gained more independent governing powers until January 1, 1901, when they were declared a federation within the British Commonwealth. The 1931 Statute of Westminister formally severed most of their ties with Great Britain, and the Australians officially became just "Aussies".

Hope that helps!

Answer 5

Evidence of Aboriginal inhabitants date back 60000 years. The Dutch traded with the Tiwi Islanders way back in the 16th century and Cpt James Cook finally claimed the land in 1778 or something like that.

It's a bit of a sore subject and we don't talk about it much. Best not mention it.

Answer 6

Well this yank was going on holidays and he happened to look out the planes window and he said isn't that Australia and bingo there you have it OK.and America has regret ed it ever since how can such a small country kick our ar*e so often they say.

Answer 7

A man in a boat stumbled across it while out sailing.

It is said that he could smell the wildflowers while still kilometres out at sea...then someone introduced rabbits and that was the end of that.

Answer 8

Captain Hook according to a 12 year old girl down the street...

Answer 9

You do a disservice to the indigenous population who always knew that it was where it is.
What you are asking is: who was the first westerner to colonise the country and murder thousands of its inhabitants.

Answer 10

Australia has always been there!!

Answer 11

cant remember now but christopher columbus sailed staright past it when he discovered new zealand!