What did Australia look like 200 years ago (1750 AD)?

Question

What did Australia look like 200 years ago (1750 AD)? Like Environment, Animals, Plants, Climate, People ect.

Answer 1

More Aboriginals, and far fewer sun-burned Europeans.

"The first undisputed recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland was made by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in 1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but made no attempt at settlement. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Britain. The expedition's discoveries provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there."

"The British Crown Colony of New South Wales started with the establishment of a settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 1788-01-26. This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day."

"Australia : History" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia#History

"Although humans had lived in Australia for approximately 40-45,000 years (possibly a lot more) before 1606, this era is referred to as prehistory rather than history because there are no written records of human events in Australia."

"The first undisputed sighting of Rhea Galati by a European was made in 1606. The Dutch vessel Duyfken, captained by Willem Jansz, followed the coast of New Guinea, missed Torres Strait, and explored perhaps 350 km of western side of Cape York, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, believing the land was still part of New Guinea. The Dutch made one landing, but were promptly attacked by Aborigines and subsequently abandoned further exploration."

"William Dampier was the first Englishman to see Australia. He explored the north-west coast of Australia in 1688, in the Cygnet, a small trading vessel. He made another voyage in 1699, before returning to England. He described some of the flora and fauna of Australia, and was the first European to report Australia's peculiar large hopping animals."

"History of Australia before 1788" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Australia_before_1788

"Finding the land swampy and the people inhospitable and with the killing of some of his men on various shore expeditions, he apparently decided to turn back at Cape Keerweer ("Cape Turnabout", 13°55′S, 141°28′E). The reason given for the turnabout can be found in the VOC’s Instructions to Abel Jansen Tasman, issued in Batavia in 1644-01-29, which sets out an account of the earlier voyage:"

"...the first was undertaken in the year 1606 with the yacht 't Duijffken, by order of President Jan Willemsz Verschoor (who then managed the Company's affairs in. Bantam) on which voyage the Islands of Key and Arouw were visited in passing, and the unknown south and west coasts of Nova Guinea were discovered over a length of 220 miles from 5 to 13¾ degrees southern latitude, it being only ascertained that vast regions were for the greater part uncultivated, and certain parts inhabited by savage, cruel black barbarians who slew some of our sailors, so that no information was obtained touching the exact situation of the country and regarding the commodities obtainable and in demand there; our men having by want of provisions and other necessaries been compelled to return and give up the discovery they had begun, only registering in their chart, with the name of Cape Keerweer, the extreme point of the discovered land in 131 degrees southern latitude."

"Janszoon voyage of 1606" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janszoon_voyage_of_1606

"The land everywhere appeared pretty low, flat and even; but with steep cliffs to the sea; and when we came near it there were no trees, shrubs or grass to be seen."

"The land is of an indifferent height, so that it may be seen 9 or 10 leagues off. It appears at a distance very even; but as you come nigher you find there are many gentle risings, though none steep nor high. It is all a steep shore against the open sea: but in this bay or sound we were now in the land is low by the seaside, rising gradually in within the land. The mould is sand by the seaside, producing a large sort of samphire, which bears a white flower. Farther in the mould is reddish, a sort of sand producing some grass, plants, and shrubs. The grass grows in great tufts as big as a bushel, here and there a tuft: being intermixed with much heath, much of the kind we have growing on our commons in England. Of trees or shrubs here are divers sorts; but none above 10 foot high: their bodies about 3 foot about, and 5 or 6 foot high before you come to the branches, which are bushy and composed of small twigs there spreading abroad, though thick set, and full of leaves; which were mostly long and narrow. The colour of the leaves was on one side whitish, and on the other green; and the bark of the trees was generally of the same colour with the leaves, of a pale green. Some of these trees were sweet-scented, and reddish within the bark, like the sassafras, but redder. Most of the trees and shrubs had at this time either blossoms or berries on them. The blossoms of the different sort of trees were of several colours, as red, white, yellow, etc., but mostly blue: and these generally smelt very sweet and fragrant, as did some also of the rest. There were also beside some plants, herbs, and tall flowers, some very small flowers, growing on the ground, that were sweet and beautiful, and for the most part unlike any I had seen elsewhere."

"There were but few land-fowls; we saw none but eagles of the larger sorts of birds; but 5 or 6 sorts of small birds. The biggest sort of these were not bigger than larks; some no bigger than wrens, all singing with great variety of fine shrill notes; and we saw some of their nests with young ones in them. The water-fowls are ducks (which had young ones now, this being the beginning of the spring in these parts) curlews, galdens, crab-catchers, cormorants, gulls, pelicans; and some waterfowl, such as I have not seen anywhere besides."

"The land animals that we saw here were only a sort of raccoon, different from those of the West Indies, chiefly as to their legs; for these have very short forelegs; but go jumping upon them as the others do (and like them are very good meat) and a sort of iguana, of the same shape and size with other iguanas described, but differing from them in 3 remarkable particulars: for these had a larger and uglier head, and had no tail: and at the rump, instead of the tail there, they had a stump of a tail which appeared like another head; but not really such, being without mouth or eyes: yet this creature seemed by this means to have a head at each end; and, which may be reckoned a fourth difference, the legs also seemed all 4 of them to be forelegs, being all alike in shape and length, and seeming by the joints and bending to be made as if they were to go indifferently either head or tail foremost. They were speckled black and yellow like toads, and had scales or knobs on their backs like those of crocodiles, plated onto the skin, or stuck into it, as part of the skin. They are very slow in motion; and when a man comes nigh them they will stand still and hiss, not endeavouring to get away. Their livers are also spotted black and yellow: and the body when opened has a very unsavoury smell. I did never see such ugly creatures anywhere but here. The iguanas I have observed to be very good meat: and I have often eaten of them with pleasure; but though I have eaten of snakes, crocodiles and alligators, and many creatures that look frightfully enough, and there are but few I should have been afraid to eat of if pressed by hunger, yet I think my stomach would scarce have served to venture upon these New Holland iguanas, both the looks and the smell of them being so offensive."

More at "A VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND ETC., IN THE YEAR 1699 : CHAPTER 3. TWO OCEANS AND NEW HOLLAND.", CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAMPIER : http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15675/15675-h/15675-h.htm#ch3

"At first Cook bestowed the name Stingaree (Stingray) Bay to the inlet after the many such creatures found there; this was later changed to Botanist Bay and finally Botany Bay after the unique specimens retrieved by the botanists Joseph Banks, Daniel Solander and Herman Spöring."

"At Cook's original landing contact was made with the local Australian Aboriginal inhabitants. As the ships sailed into the harbour, they noticed Aborigines on both of the headlands. At about 2 pm they put the anchor down near a group of six to eight huts. Two Aborigines, a younger and an older man, came down to the boat. They ignored gifts from Cook. A musket was fired over their heads, which wounded the older man slightly, and he ran towards the huts. He came back with other men and threw spears at Cook's men, although they did no harm. They were chased off after two more rounds were fired. The adults had left, but Cook found several Aboriginal children in the huts, and left some beads with them as a gesture of friendship."

"The crew's encounters with the local Aboriginal people were mainly peaceable; from the group encountered here the name "kangaroo" entered the English language, coming from the local Guugu Yimidhirr word for a kind of Grey Kangaroo, gangurru (IPA: /ɡaŋuru/)."

"First voyage of James Cook : Botany Bay" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_voyage_of_James_Cook#Australian_coast

"Initially the name Stingray Bay was used by Cook and other journal keepers on his expedition, for the stingrays they caught. That name was recorded on an Admiralty chart too. [1] Cook's log for 1770-05-06 records "The great quantity of these sort of fish found in this place occasioned my giving it the name of Stingrays Harbour". However, in his journal (prepared later from his log), he changed to "The great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found in this place occasioned my giving it the Name of Botany Bay"."

"Botany Bay : Name and short history" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botany_Bay

"While in Australia, Banks, and the Swedish and Finnish botanists Daniel Solander and Dr. Herman Spöring made the first major collection of Australian flora, describing many species new to science. Almost 800 specimems were illustrated by the artist Sydney Parkison and appear in Banks' Florigelium, finally published in thirty-five volumes between 1980 and 1990."

"Joseph Banks : Endeavour voyage" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Banks#Endeavour_voyage

Answer 2

Flake out on sun-drenched beaches, eat at award-winning restaurants and a lot more is what you would get in your trip to Sydney. Find more with hotelbye . One of many world's great symbols and a absolutely should see in Sydney is the Sydney Opera House, a spot is a UNESCO World Heritage Website and the star appeal on the glittering harbour. That graceful making, designed like shells or billowing sails, perches on a finger of land surrounded by water. Sydney is a special spot to invest your vacation so, do not lose the ability to visit a great city.

Answer 3

maybe like a jungle??
australia was a city 200 years ago??
dont know..

Answer 4

dont know was not here 200 years ago And im sure your going to find it hard to find some one who was :) but good luck with that