When did the first European set foot in Australian soil ?

Answer 1

its believed due to aboriginal art that Spanish ships came about Australia in the 1600's

however wikipedia states:

The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north[citation needed] and by European explorers and merchants starting in the 17th century, the eastern half of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788.

so make of it what you will.

Answer 2

History

The Aboriginal people were the first inhabitants of the Australian continent. Most anthropologists currently believe they migrated to the continent at least 50,000 years ago and occupied most of the continent by 30,000 years ago. Subsequently, rising sea levels separated Tasmania and other immediate offshore islands from the rest of the continent. Although Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Arab seafarers may have landed in northern Australia well before ad 1500, Australia was essentially unknown in the West until the 17th century. For the history of the indigenous people of Australia prior to European settlement.

Early European Exploration

Although Australia was not known to the Western world, it did exist in late medieval European logic and mythology: A great Southland, or Terra Australis, was thought necessary to balance the weight of the northern landmasses of Europe and Asia. Terra Australis often appeared on early European maps as a large, globe-shaped mass in about its correct location, although Europeans recorded no actual discoveries until much later. Indeed, the European exploration of Australia took more than three centuries to complete; thus, what is often considered the oldest continent, geologically, was the last to be discovered and colonized by Europeans.

Portuguese and Spanish Sailings

In the 15th century Portugal’s navigation around Africa in pursuit of a trade route to India rekindled European interest in the region. Historians have long speculated that the Portuguese may have reached eastern Australia, but the evidence, mainly 16th-century French copies of Portuguese charts, is tenuous. The continent lay off the main trading routes, and the prevailing winds made it difficult to approach.

In the 16th and early 17th centuries, Spain, having established its empire in South and Central America, began a series of expeditions from Peru to the South Pacific. The most notable of these, by Luis Vaez de Torres in 1606, passed within sight of the Australian continent along the strait that now bears his name, between New Guinea and Australia. But Spanish interests were farther north in the Philippines, and the voyagers did not return.

hope this may help u..

thanks!

Answer 3

Records of the discovery of the Australian continent by European expeditions date back to the early 17th century. The first known sighting was in 1609 by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who in his ship Duyfken navigated the Gulf of Carpentaria, sighting and making landfall on the western coast of Cape York Peninsula. In 1616, another Dutchman Dirk Hartog left a pewter plate commemorating his landfall at Shark Bay in Western Australia. Some writers have argued that Portuguese navigators discovered Australia in the 16th century, but there is no firm evidence to support this theory. Other 17th century European voyagers (predominantly Dutch, but also French and English) were to follow suit, and by the start of the 18th century all but the eastern coastlines of what had become known as "New Holland" had been charted. No attempts to establish settlements were made, however.

Answer 4

A ship called the Batavia run aground at the Abrolhos Islands West Australia 1668.
There was mutiny after the Capt left for in longboats Java for rescue and many were massacred.
When Capt Pelsart returned they were hung all except one young man that was set adrift towards Australia it is believed he was the first European also because the Abrolhos is classed as Australia they could also have been some of the first.

Answer 5

when i was very young the view that the Brits were the first Europeans to set foot here was pushed .... but it is pretty much accepted now that the Dutch and portugese were here first .. ( only they didn't come back or stay .. ) ...

There is also a theory that the Chinese ALSO discovered Australia many centuries before.

Kat.. sorry .. but i think you need to spend a little time doing more educational research online..

Answer 6

A very good and through explanation of the exploration and settlement of the Australian continent is in the book by James Mischner "Australia"

Answer 7

when the first fleet came