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It is not known whether the Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Australia, but they certainly weren't the first to land on the continent. The Aborigines made it to Australia anywhere between 6,000 and 50,000 years ago. No written records exist, so one can only speculate on when they first arrived, but it was certainly before the Portuguese.
The Asian people also visited the northern coast regularly for hundreds of years before Europeans set foot on the continent, to collect sea-slugs (trepang), a valued delicacy in Asia.
It is believed that the Portuguese were the first to sight the Australian continent, but there are no records within Portugal itself to substantiate the claim, or whether they landed on the shore. The sources for this claim are the Dieppe Maps, which date between 1542 and 1587, and which were drawn up by a group of French cartographers using a Portuguese source. These maps name a large land mass believed to be the Australian continent as Java-la-Grande. There is some speculation that the maps, not being to scale, actually represent an exaggerated western Java, possibly even Vietnam.
Willem Jansz/Janszoon was a Dutchman who was seeking new trade routes and trade associates. Commanding the Duyfken, he became the first recorded European to step foot on Australia's shores on the western shore of Cape York Peninsula, on 26 February 1606. However, he believed the Cape to be part of New Guinea, from whence he crossed the Arafura Sea, so he did not record Australia as being a separate, new continent.
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Who was the first European to land on the west coast of Australia?
It was Dirk Hartog who was the first European to land on the west coast of Australia.
Which European ship came to Australia first?
The first known European to sail to Australia was Dutchman Willem Jansz, who landed on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. However, it is believed that the Portuguese were the ones who first saw the continent, even though no records of this still exist.
The first europeans to reach china by sea in 1513?
The Portuguese
Who were some important people in Australia during 1550-1650?
Willem Janzoon was an important person in Australia between 1550 and 1650. He was a Dutch explorer who first set foot on the land in 1606. He and others explored the land but did not make any settlements for over a hundred years.
What was pedor alvarez cabral looking for?
he was looking for the land to claim his own for the king, and call it Portuguese
What if the Portuguese found Australia first?
then we speak portuguese instead of English
The discoverer of Australia claimed it for?
First the Portuguese, then the Dutch, the Great Britain.
Who were the first Europeans to land on the coast of West Africa?
Portuguese
How long did the Portuguese live in Australia?
Although the Portuguese are believed to be the first Europeans to discover Australia, they did not settle any part of it or live here prior to Britain colonising the continent.
In Which century did portuguese merchant first land in Goa?
IN 13th century
Who was the first to land on Australia?
Aborigines were the first to land in Australia. After them, the next people were the Macassan traders who sought sea slugs off the northern coast of Australia. The first known European to land in Australia was Willem Jansz, also known as Willem Janszoon.
From which country did the explorer who first discovered Australia come from?
It is believed that the first explorers to discover Australia were Portuguese, but no records still exist.The first recorded explorer on Australia's shores was Dutch (Willem Jansz).
What nation first claimed Australia and what did they use it for?
Britain was the first to claim Australia, although the Dutch, Portuguese and French had explored parts of the continent's coast. Australia was first used as a penal colony for England's excess prisoners.
What were the first portugese trying to find?
The first Portuguese were trying to find new land. This was mostly in Africa.
Who was the first European to land on the west coast of Australia?
It was Dirk Hartog who was the first European to land on the west coast of Australia.
Where did cook first land in australia?
Botany Bay.
Which country was thought to have discovered Australia 200 years before England?
The Dutch were the first known Europeans to discover Australia, but it is believed that the Portuguese actually arrived first; unfortunately, their records were all lost. The man who is credited with the discovery of New Zealand and Van Diemen`s Land (now Tasmania) was Dutchman Abel Janszoon Tasman between 1642 and1645. However, he believed that they were part of the same land. The first known Dutchman to reach Australia's shores was Dirk Hartog, who did so in 1616.
