What was the original European name of Australia?

Answer 1

The indigenous people of Australia did not have a name for the land. Indigenous Australians did not have any knowledge, whatsoever, of any other existing countries, therefore did not find any reason in naming their home. It wasn't necessary to their way of life to identify a whole continent, given that they did not have any concept of a continent. They identified only what was necessary to their locality.

There are numerous dialects for so many different tribes in so many different regions. There is no "one" word for Australia in aboriginal language as there are so many languages. There are individual words for "land" or "earth" (as in dirt/soil) or Mother/Earth, but the word will be isolated to that tribal group's region and be a different word in another region.

Answer 2

The Dutch originally named the western half of the continent New Holland. But for many years, the continent was still referred to as Terra Australis Incognita on Dutch and Portuguese maps.

One hundred and fifty years later, James Cook named the eastern half New South Wales.

The name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern". Matthew Flinders was the explorer who proposed the name Terra Australis for the continent, and the name 'Australia' was adopted in 1824.