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AUSTRALIA ON THE MAP (1606–2006) 

(Ages 8–10) 

Published by R.I.C. Publications ® 2006 

Copyright © R.I.C. Publications ® 2006 

ISBN 1 74126 358 1 

RIC–6425 

Additional titles available in this series: 

AUSTRALIA ON THE MAP (1606–2006) 

(Ages 11+) 

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original purchaser for use with their class(es). The 

publisher prohibits the loaning or onselling of this 

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Internet websites 

In some cases, websites or specific URLs may be recommended. While these are checked and rechecked at the 

time of publication, the publisher has no control over any subsequent changes which may be made to webpages. 

It is strongly recommended that the class teacher checks all URLs before allowing students to access them. 

View all pages online 

PO Box 332 Greenwood Western Australia 6924 

Website: www.ricgroup.com.au 

Email: mail@ricgroup.com.au

Australia on the map 

The Australia on the map books have been written in cooperation 

with the Australia on the Map Committee to celebrate the 400th 

anniversary of the first recorded European discovery of Australia. 

They explore the arrival of Australia’s first inhabitants before 

the disappearance of the land bridges and acknowledge the 

achievements of the many explorers and mariners from different 

European nations. Each book is divided into four sections, with 

curriculum-linked activities from the learning areas of English and 

Society and Environment. 

Teachers notes .................................................................. iv–v 

Time line ................................................................................vi 

Map of the world ....................................................................vii 

Map of Australia ................................................................... viii 

The beginning 1–18 

Personal teachers notes ......................................................... 2 

Teachers notes ...................................................................... 3 

Past land bridges ................................................................... 4 

Aboriginal Australians and the Macassan people ...................... 5 

Travelling to a new land ...................................................... 6–7 

The Macassan people and trade ..........................................8–9 

The Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish ................................... 10 

The Chinese and Portuguese .......................................... 11–12 

The Spanish ...................................................................13–14 

Map of the world .................................................................. 15 

Ships to 1606 ....................................................................... 16 

Quiz – The beginning ............................................................17 

The beginning – Answers ..................................................... 18 

The Dutch 19–44 

Personal teachers notes ....................................................... 20 

Teachers notes .................................................................... 21 

Fascinating facts ............................................................ 22–23 

Willem Jansz ................................................................. 24–25 

Dirk Hartog .................................................................... 26–27 

Jan Carstensz ................................................................ 28–29 

Pieter Nuyts ....................................................................30–31 

Francisco Pelsaert ...........................................................32–33 

The story of Abel Tasman ................................................34–37 

Willem de Vlamingh ........................................................ 38–39 

Map summary of Dutch exploration routes of Australia ............40 

Map of Dutch exploration routes and accidental 

contact with Australia in the 17th century .............................. 41 

The Duyfken ........................................................................ 42 

Quiz – The Dutch .................................................................. 43 

The Dutch – Answers ........................................................... 44 

Foreword 

Contents 

The four sections are: The beginning 

The Dutch 

The French 

The British 

Australia on the map is a comprehensive resource to complement 

the learning program and take it beyond the celebrations of 2006. 

Other titles in this series: Australia on the map – Ages 11+ 

The French 45–66 




Great South Land ................................................................. 50 

Missing at sea – La Perouse ................................................. 51 

Mapping d’Entrecasteaux’s journey ....................................... 52 

Josephine’s garden .............................................................. 53 

The Baudin expedition .................................................... 54–55 

The encounter – Flinders and Baudin ............................... 56–57 

The Freycinet expedition ................................................. 58–59 

A mystery solved! – La Perouse ............................................. 60 

The Géographe .................................................................... 61 

Map summary of French exploration of Australia .................... 62 

Map summary of French exploration routes of Australia .......... 63 

Quiz – The French .......................................................... 64–65 

The French – Answers .......................................................... 66 

The British 67–92 




William Dampier ............................................................ 72–73 

James Cook .................................................................. 74–77 

George Vancouver .......................................................... 78–79 

Tobias Furneaux ............................................................. 80–81 

George Bass and Matthew Flinders ................................. 82–83 

Matthew Flinders ........................................................... 84–85 

John Murray ........................................................................ 86 

Phillip Parker King ................................................................ 87 

Map summary of British exploration of Australia ...................... 88 

Maps of British exploration routes of Australia ........................ 89 

HMB Endeavour ................................................................... 90 

Quiz –The British ................................................................. 91 

The British – Answers .......................................................... 92 



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iii 

www.ricgroup.com.au R.I.C. Publications ® Australia on the map 

ISBN 978-1-74126-358-9


It is vital that students to have an awareness of their country’s history 

to give them an understanding of how their society has developed. 

This leads to an appreciation of the different cultures that make up the 

national population. The Australia on the map series emphasises the 

importance of the roles played by different nations in the discovery of 

Australia. 

The book may be used to give an overview of those involved in the 

discovery and mapping of Australia or as a springboard for a more indepth 

project. There are many resources available in libraries and on 

the Internet for students to gain a greater knowledge and understanding 

of the life and times of the explorers. 

The front pages include three generic pages, which are useful resources 

for the study of the exploration of Australia. 

Map of the world 

This shows the location of each relevant nation in relation to the position 

of Australia. Students can clearly see the magnitude of the voyages 

undertaken by early explorers. 

Map of Australia 

Students can use this to map the areas explored by individuals or 

groups of explorers. 

Time line 

This shows the chronology of European exploration from 1606 to 

1826. 

Each section includes: 

• page for personal teachers notes 

• teachers notes 

• fascinating facts 

• student activity pages 

• map summary pages 

• outline of a ship of the time 

• quiz questions 

• answers 

Page for personal teachers notes 

Space for the teacher to record ideas for planning, organisation, 

resources and extension activities. 

Teachers notes 


Contain: 

• background information on each nation, and reasons for its 

involvement in Pacifi c exploration. In the Beginning section, the 

migration of Australia’s original inhabitants and early European 

exploration in the area, are explained, 

• time line of the nation’s major explorers and ships involved in the 

discovery and exploration of Australia, 

• additional activities to extend the area of learning. 



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(Sample teachers notes) 

Fascinating facts 

Include: 

• additional information for students, 

• suggestions for further research to supplement learning in the 

area, 

• time line and summary of the nation’s involvement in the discovery 

and planning of Australia. 


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iv 

R.I.C. Publications ® 

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Student activity pages 

Contain: 

• information on the nation’s major explorers and their voyages, in 

chronological order, 

• activities to consolidate learning and enhance knowledge and 

understanding. 

(Sample student page) 


Two map summary pages 

Contain a: 

• map of the nation’s exploration routes of Australia, indicating 

coastlines charted, 

• map to show summary of nation’s exploration of Australia. 

Outline of a ship of the time 

Contains: 

• picture of a contemporary ship for students to colour or use as a 

basis to make a model. 

Quiz questions 

Contains: 

• 25 quiz questions to be administered in any format chosen by the 

teacher. 

Answers 

Contains: 

• The answers to student pages and the quiz (included at the end of 

each section). 



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Outcome links 

State English SOSE 

NSW RS2.5, RS2.6, WS2.9 CCS2.1 

WA R3.1, W3.1, W3.2, W3.4 ICP3.2, ICP3.3, ICP3.4, TCC3.1, TCC3.2 

Vic. ENRE0301, ENRE0307, ENWR0302, ENWR0304 SOSE0301 

SA 2.3, 2.8, 3.4, 3.11 2.3, 3.1, 2.3, 3.4 

Qld Refer to curriculum documents on http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au TCC3.3 

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Australia on the map – time line 

Year Explorer Ship Area 

1606 Willem Jansz Duyfken west coast of Cape York Peninsula 

1616 Dirk Hartog Eendracht Shark Bay 

1618 Haevik Claeszoon Zeewolf North West Cape 

Leenaert Jacobsz Mauritius North West Cape 

1619 Frederick de Houtman Dordrecht (with Amsterdam) Swan River region and Houtman Abrolhos 

1622 Unknown Leeuwin Cape Leeuwin 

1623 Jan Carstensz Pera (with Arnhem) Arnhem Land 

1627 

François Thijssen 

Pieter Nuyts 

Gulden Zeepaert 

Cape Leeuwin to Ceduna 

Nuyts Land, Nuyts Archipelago 

1628 Gerrit Frederikszoon de Witt Vianen north coast of Western Australia 

1629 Francisco Pelsaert Batavia wrecked on Abrolhos Islands 

1642–1644 Abel Tasman 

Heemskerck, Zeehaen (1642) 

Limmen, Zeemeeuw, Bracq (1644) 

Tasmania and New Zealand 

1696 Willem de Vlamingh Geelvinck, Nyptangh, Weseltje Rottnest Island, Swan River, Dirk Hartog Island 

1688–1699 William Dampier 

1768 

Louis Antoine de 

Bougainville 

Cygnet, 

Roebuck 

Boudeuse, Etoile 

1768–1771 James Cook Endeavour 

Cape Leveque, King Sound, Buccaneer Archipelago, 

Shark Bay to Roebuck Bay 

prevented from reaching north-eastern shore of Australia 

by the Great Barrier Reef 

New Zealand, east coast Australia, Point Hicks to 

Possession Island 

1772 François de Saint Alouarn Gros Ventre Kerguelen Island to Cape Leeuwin and Shark Bay 

1773 Tobias Furneaux Adventure south and east coasts of Tasmania 

1791 George Vancouver Discovery King George Sound south-west Western Australia 

1791–1794 Bruni d’Entrecasteaux Recherche (with Espérance) south Western Australia 

1795 

1796 

George Bass 

Matthew Flinders 

George Bass 


Tom Thumb I 

Tom Thumb II 

Botany Bay 

Georges River 

Port Kembla 

Lake Illawarra 

1797 George Bass open whaleboat from Point Hicks to Western Port Bay on south-east coast 

1798 

George Bass 


Norfolk 

complete Tasmanian coastline 

1800 James Grant Lady Nelson first west–east passage through Bass Strait 

1800–1804 

Nicolas Baudin, Jacques 

Hamelin, Louis de Freycinet 



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Géographe, Naturaliste and 

Casuarina 

1801 John Murray Lady Nelson Port Phillip Bay 

Western Australian, southern and south-east Tasmanian 

coastlines 

1801–1803 Matthew Flinders Investigator complete Australian coastlines 

1802 Matthew Flinders Investigator encounter with Nicolas Baudin in Géographe, SA 

1817–1820 Louis de Freycinet Uranie Shark Bay 

1817–1822 Phillip Parker King Mermaid, Bathurst north-western Australia 

1826 Dumont d’Urville Astrolabe King George Sound 


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Map of 

Australia 



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THE 

BEGINNING 

Spanish carrack 

Chinese junk 



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Portuguese caravel 

Name: 

Class: 

1 


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Personal teachers notes 

List of resources: 

Useful websites: 

Extension activities: 



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The beginning 


Introduction 

With a large proportion of the Earth’s sea water in polar icecaps, the 

sea level during the last ice age was possibly up to 130 metres 

lower than it is today. The world’s continents were shaped differently 

with Australia, it is believed, joined to Papua New Guinea, and Tasmania 

part of the mainland. Prehistorians believe Australia’s first indigenous 

population travelled here from South-East Asia during this ice age, about 

40 000 years ago, since more of Indonesia’s islands were exposed 

above water at that time. Aboriginal people ‘island-hopped’, walking 

until they were forced to use rafts or canoes to travel the last leg of their 

journey to the north-west of Australia. This migration would have taken 

place over a lengthy time, with the people stopping to fish, hunt and 

gather other foods. About 10 000 years ago, the temperature began to 

increase, causing the ice sheets to melt, the sea level to rise, and land 

bridges to disappear. 

The Macassans are Indonesians from Macassar in the southern 

island of Sulawesi in Java. Travelling in fleets of boats called praus, 

they exchanged goods with Aboriginal Australians so they could fish 

the surrounding waters for trepang. Evidence of this trade appears in 

Aboriginal rock and bark paintings, songs and oral history. Macassan 

words in Aboriginal languages (such as ‘Balanda’ for white person) and 

the introduction of dugout canoes and items such as tobacco and knives 

also mark the Indonesian influence. Macassans are also thought to be 

responsible for the introduction of tamarind trees, as well as—some 

4000 years ago—the Australian icon, the dingo. 

Some historians believe that Chinese and Portuguese explorers may 

have visited Australia long before the Dutch made the first recorded visit 

in 1606. It is known that Chinese ships journeyed into the Indian Ocean 

between the 13th and 15th centuries and that the Portuguese were 

frequent visitors to South-East Asia in the 15th and 16th centuries. 

In addition, a set of maps drawn in the mid-1500s, believed to have 

been based on Portuguese maps and journals, show a large island with 

possible similarities to Australia. 

In 1606, Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres discovered the sea 

passage, or strait, between Australia and New Guinea. However, his 

discovery was kept a secret from other European nations until 1762. 

The sea passage then became known as Torres Strait. 

Additional activities 

• Paint a story to show Aboriginal people travelling in watercraft 

and walking across land bridges from Asia to the northern part of 

Australia. 

• Use modelling clay or papier-mâché to create trading items such 

as dugout canoes, iron blades, spears, knives, axe heads and flint. 

Make a display in your school library of these items, with labels and 

explanations of where they came from and for what purposes they 

were brought here. 

• Discuss the importance of conserving Aboriginal historical sites. 

Develop a top five list of reasons and present it to the class. 

• Write a fact-file about the trepang (or sea cucumber). Include: 

– what it looks like (include a picture), 

– where it is found, 

– what it was used for by the Chinese, 

– special characteristics that help protect it from attack by 

predators. 

• Imagine 40 000 years have passed and scientists have just 

completed an archaeological dig in what was once the students’ 

bedrooms. Students write about an object from their bedroom that 

stood the test of time. What might an archaeologist of the future 

believe the artefact to have once been used for? Include a picture of 

the object. 

• Research to find out more about Zheng He and his voyages. Is any 

‘real’ evidence available of his supposed visits to Australia? What do 

historians think of some of the claims made for Zheng He? 

• Design a tourist brochure that encourages people to visit the site of 

the supposed ‘Mahogany Ship’ in Victoria. 

• Create a collage that represents the country of Spain today. 

• Find a map showing Jave la Grande. Discuss any similarities you can 

see between it and Australia. 



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Past land bridges 

THE BEGINNING 

The sea level during the last ice age was up to 130 metres lower than it is today. With a large proportion 

of the earth’s sea water in polar icecaps, the world’s continents were shaped differently. More land was 

exposed, allowing people to ‘island-hop’ across the natural land bridges. 

1. Study the map to complete the sentences. 

Approximately 50 000 years ago, Australia was connected to 



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1 

and 

2 

as they were all part of the 3 

. 

Many Indonesian islands were connected by the 4 

. 

2. On the Map of the world on page 15, shade the area around Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia as it may 

have looked 50 000 years ago. 

3. Research on the Internet to learn about another land bridge of the Pleistocene period, the Bering Land Bridge. 

Complete this sentence. 

During the last ice age, the Bering Land Bridge across the 

1 

Strait connected the 

continents of 

2 

and 3 

. 


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THE BEGINNING 

Aboriginal Australians and the 

Macassan people 

Aboriginal people used simple types of watercraft, 

such as rafts and canoes, to cross stretches of 

water between the islands in the north to reach the 

top of Australia. 

On paper, design a raft that Aboriginal people 

may have travelled on. Use craft sticks and 

glue to create your raft. 

Aboriginal man sailing from one island to 

another using a dugout canoe 

Some Aboriginal history can be determined by 

archaeological finds. Archaeology is the study of 

human societies of the past using remains such as 

bones and stone artefacts. Some important Aboriginal 

archaeological discoveries have been made in 

Australia at: 

• Devils Lair (WA) 

• Koonalda Cave (SA) 

• Lake Mungo (NSW) 

Choose one site and use the Internet to find 

out 

– what was discovered there, 

– when it was discovered, and 

– how old the artefact is believed to be. 

The Macassan people traded their dugout canoes 

with the Aborigines in northern Australia for goods 

such as pearl and turtle shell. The Aborigines used 

the canoes to fish for trepang (sea cucumbers), 

turtles and dugongs. 

• Use the resource centre to find out what a 

dugong is. 

• Draw and colour a dugong. 

Unlike some other cultures, there are no written 

records of Aboriginal history. Instead, history was 

passed on through storytelling, paintings, songs and 

dance. 

What are two ways you learn about your 

history? Share your answer with a friend. 

Aboriginal Australians believe that their civilisation 

began in Australia during a time known as the 

Dreamtime (or sometimes, the Dreaming). The 

Dreamtime explains how the universe came to be and 

how humans and animals were created. 

Do you know a Dreamtime story? Draw 

a story map with pictures and arrows that 

shows what happens in the story. 

Aboriginal people and the Macassans traded many 

objects with each other, such as tools, shells, rice 

and trepang. 

In pairs, role-play the trading of goods 

between Aborigines and the Macassans. 

What difficulties do you think might arise? 



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The trepang (sea cucumber) is a 

delicacy in some Asian countries 

Preparing trepang so that it could be eaten was a very 

long process of boiling, burying and smoking, as it 

was believed that part of the trepang was poisonous. 

Would you dare to eat something that was 

once poisonous? 

Never! Possibly! Absolutely! 

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THE BEGINNING 

Travelling to a new land – 1 

During the last ice age, a lot of ocean water was 

held in the form of large polar icecaps. With less 

free water in the oceans, the level of the sea was lower 

than it is today. At that time, the world’s continents 

were shaped differently. It is believed that Australia 

was once joined to Papa New Guinea, and Tasmania 

was part of Australia’s mainland until about only 

12 000 years ago. 

Due to the sea being lower, people were able to walk 

across natural land bridges from one continent to 

another. 

Prehistorians believe Australia’s fi rst indigenous 

population travelled here from South-East Asia during 

this ice age about 40 000 years ago. The sea level 

was probably about 100 metres lower than it is today, 

leaving more of Indonesia’s islands visible as land. 

Aboriginal people ‘island-hopped’, walking from as 

far as India until they were forced to make rafts or 

canoes to travel the last leg of their journey to the 

north-west of Australia. These watercraft were most 

probably made of bamboo as it is a water-resistant, 

light material in good supply in Asia. 

The Aboriginal people moved in bands, stopping 

for long periods in different 

places to fish, hunt and 

gather other foods. Some may 

not have wished to travel to 

Australia but may have been 

caught in their watercraft by 

strong winds or monsoons 

and drifted towards the great 

south land. 

The first Aboriginal people 

would have reached Arnhem 

Land (Northern Territory), the 

Kimberley region (northern 

Western Australia) and Cape 

York Peninsula (Northern 

Queensland) and settled by 

the coast. When the population 

grew, small groups may have 

chosen to travel inland. 

End of the Ice Age 

About 10 000 years ago, the Earth’s temperature 

began to increase, causing the southern and northern 

ice sheets to melt. The sea level rose, flooding lowlying 

areas and making Australia an island. With such 

a rise in the amount of water, many environmental 

changes occurred. Coastlines altered, new beaches 

were created and dried-up lakes were once again 

filled with water. 



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The Aborigines adapted to the changes in the 

environment. They lived off the land and the sea, 

building weapons to hunt and fish with. 

Aboriginal man carrying child 


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THE BEGINNING 

Travelling to a new land – 2 

1. Complete the sentences. 

(a) During the ice age, the sea level was . 

(b) Tasmania was once part of Australia’s mainland until . 

Young Aboriginal 

(c) It is believed Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for . 

man 

(d) People were able to walk from one continent to another across 

. 

(e) The material most probably used to make watercraft was . 

2. Use a dictionary to find the meaning of these words. 

(a) indigenous (b) population (c) monsoon 

3. What caused some Aboriginal people to land in Australia ‘accidentally’? 

4. Explain what effects the end of the ice age had on the environment. 

5. (a) Use an atlas to find the places below and record them on the map of northern Australia. 

• Arnhem Land (NT) • the Kimberley region (WA) • Cape York Peninsula (Qld) 

(b) Draw an arrow to show the direction to Papua New Guinea. 



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THE BEGINNING 

The Macassan people and trade – 1 

In the 1700s, Indonesian traders, such 

as fisherman from Macassar, sailed 

to Arnhem Land and the Kimberley (on 

the north coast of Australia) looking 

for Asian delicacies. Macassar (now 

known as Ujung Pandang) is in the 

south-western corner of the island of 

Sulawesi. 

The Macassans fished near the Gulf 

of Carpentaria and travelled to the 

northern part of Australia searching 

for sea cucumbers and sharks’ fins. 

They set up camps and smokehouses 

to cook and dry the delicacies they 

had caught. These items were much 

sought after by the Chinese. 

It is believed that the Aboriginal 

people from the north of Australia 

collected resources such as trepang 

(sea cucumbers), tortoise shell, turtle 

shell and pearl shell to trade with the 

Macassans. The trepang and shells would be traded 

for the Macassan’s dugout canoes, iron blades, 

spears, knives, axeheads and flint. Rice and tobacco 

were also traded with the Aboriginal people. 

This contact with Asian people was recorded by the 

Aborigines in rock and bark paintings and told about 

in Aboriginal songs. In addition, some Asian words 

have been incorporated into Aboriginal languages. 

When the Macassan people visited Australia, usually 

between October and December, it is believed that the 

Aboriginal people would help them fish for trepang. 

The Macassans cooked the trepang, which was a long 

process of boiling, burying under sand and stones to 

remove the tough skin, and finally smoking them in 

smokehouses to preserve them for the long journey 

home. 

With the help of the south-easterly winds, the Macassan 

people would return home with their goods. Chinese 

traders would make special trips to Sulawesi to trade 

their silk and tea for the delicacy, trepang. 

Although differences in cultural beliefs and values 

may have caused conflicts between the Macassans and 

Aboriginal people, trading between them continued 

until Australian laws were passed to prevent it in 

1906. 

1. Choose True or False. 

(a) Trade was the main reason the Macassan people 

travelled to Australia. 



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True False 

(b) Contact with Asian people can be heard about in 

Aboriginal songs. 

True False 

(c) The trepang were smoked to remove their tough 

skins. 

True 

False 

(d) North-easterly winds helped the Macassans to 

return home. 

True False 

(e) Trading stopped between the two groups in 

1806. 

True 

False 


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THE BEGINNING 

The Macassan people and trade – 2 

2. Complete the paragraph about trading by filling in the missing words. 

Young 

Macassan 

man 

Trepang and p s were traded by the Aboriginal people 

to the Macassan people for items such as d c , s and 

r . The Macassans traded t (sea cucumbers) to Chinese traders for their 

s and t . 

3. List three pieces of evidence that show Aboriginal people once traded goods with the Macassan people. 

• 

• 

• 

4. Write and draw about each step needed to collect and prepare trepang. 

Step 1 Step 2 

Step 3 Step 4 

The trepang were boiled in cauldrons 

over open fi res. 



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In smokehouses made of bamboo, the 

trepang were smoked to preserve them 

for the long journey home. 

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THE BEGINNING 

The Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish 

Treaty of Tordesillas 

In the 1400s there were many disputes between 

Spain and Portugal (the then two great European 

sea-exploring nations) over new lands that both were 

discovering. 

In 1494, the two nations agreed to the Treaty of 

Tordesillas. This established an imaginary line on a 

map of the world, dividing it into two parts. Portugal 

was allowed to claim land to the east of the line and 

Spain could claim land to the west of the line. 

Do you think the Treaty of Tordesillas was 

fair? Say why or why not. 

Zheng He 

One of China’s best known early explorers was Zheng 

He (also known as Cheng Ho). His ships, which could 

carry at least 500 sailors, visited places such as India, 

Arabia, Ceylon, Africa and Persia between 1405 and 

1433. Zheng may also have travelled as far south as 

New Guinea and South-East Asia. It is not proven he 

visited Australia, but it is possible. 

Research to find the modern name for each 

‘older’ country name from the text. Some of 

the older names may now cover more than 

one modern country. 

During the 1400s, great improvements in European 

ship design took place, creating faster vessels that 

were easier to manoeuvre. A common ship used by 

explorers during this time was the ‘caravel’, a small, 

light ship with three or four masts. The Portuguese 

caravel is particularly noted as being a major advance 

in ship design of the time. 


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10 

1400s 

The largest Chinese explorations into the Indian 

Ocean take place. The most well-known explorer 

is Zheng He (Cheng Ho). There is a popular but 

unsupported belief that the Chinese may have 

landed on Australian soil. 

1488 

Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias leads 

the first European expedition to sail around the 

Cape of Good Hope. 

1494 

The Treaty of Tordesillas is established between 

Portugal and Spain. 

1497 

Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama becomes 

the first European to discover a sea route to Asia. 

Other Portuguese explorers will soon follow. 

1511 

The Portuguese capture Melaka, a port city on 

the Malay Peninsula, and begin to take control 

of the Indonesian spice trade. 

1530–1570 

The Dieppe maps are drawn in France. 

Supposedly based on Portuguese maps and 

journals, they show a huge island called ‘Jave 

la Grande’. Some people see in it a vague 

resemblance to the northern and eastern coasts 

of Australia. 

1606 

Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres discovers 

Torres Strait. 



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Research to find a picture of a caravel. Sketch a 

simple picture of it in the box. 


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THE BEGINNING 

The Chinese and Portuguese – 1 

In 1606, Dutchman Willem Jansz made the first recorded visit to the Australian mainland. However, some 

people believe it is possible that sailors from China and Portugal may have visited Australia long before this 

date. 

The Chinese 

Chinese junks, much like 

this illustration, could 

have made the journey to 

Australia in the 1400s 

It is possible, but certainly not proven, that the 

Chinese may have visited Australia in the 1400s. It is 

known that Chinese ships made many voyages into the 

Indian Ocean between the 13th and 15th centuries, 

looking for treasures and trading opportunities. One 

of the best-known Chinese explorers was Zheng He 

(also known as Cheng Ho). In 2002, British author 

Gavin Menzies published a best-selling book called 

1421– the year China discovered the world. In it, he 

claims that two of Zheng’s ships landed on Australian 

shores in 1422 (one on the east coast and one on the 

west coast) and stayed for many months. Aboriginal 

oral accounts and shipwrecks found off the Australian 

coast are among the pieces of ‘evidence’ Menzies uses 

to prove his theory. But all authoritative historians are 

sceptical of Menzies’s claims. 

The Portuguese 

In the 1400s and 1500s, the Portuguese were great 

sea explorers and traders. They were frequent 

visitors to South-East Asia and made their fortune there 

in the spice trade. But did they reach Australia? 

One popular belief that a mysterious shipwreck, 

known as the ‘Mahogany Ship’, is supposedly proof 

that the Portuguese visited Australia in the 1500s. 

In 1836, two men who survived the wreck of their 

whaling boat were supposed to have been the first 

people to see the dark-timbered ship in sand dunes 

near the town of Warrnambool in Victoria. Many 

sightings were reportedly made by different people, 

with the last being in the 1880s. Since then, the 

Mahogany Ship has, apparently, been buried under 

the dunes. It would be almost impossible to find it 

even if it’s there—although people still try! Is the ship 

a Portuguese caravel? Is it even real? No-one is sure. 

Some historians think the Portuguese may have been 

the first Europeans to map the Australian coast. They 

believe that a set of maps drawn in France between 

1530 and 1570 (known as the ‘Dieppe maps’) may 

have been based on Portuguese maps and journals. 

On the maps, a huge island to the south-east of 

Indonesia (called ‘Jave la Grande’) is shown. Some 

people see in it a vague resemblance to the northern 

and eastern coasts of Australia. 


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THE BEGINNING 

The Chinese and Portuguese – 2 

Imagine you are a news reporter. You receive a phone call from a person 

who claims to have found the Mahogany Ship. You grab your notebook, jot 

down some questions and hurry to interview the caller. 

1. Complete the information you receive in your notebook. 

Who is the person? What is his/her age? What is his/her occupation? 

How did he/she come to fi nd the ship? 

Does the ship appear to be Portuguese, Chinese or something else altogether? 

Describe what the ship looks like. (You may need to use resources to help you.) 

What does the caller think should be done next? For example, does he/she expect a reward? 

Does he/she think the ship should be taken to a museum? 

(b) Use your notes to write up your news story. Include an eye-catching headline. 



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THE BEGINNING 

The Spanish – 1 

Like the Portuguese, the Spanish were great sea 

explorers and traders between the 1400s and 

1600s. In December 1605, Spain sent three ships on 

a voyage to discover the great south land. They left 

from the city of Callao in Peru (South America) and, 

five months later, landed at the New Hebrides (now 

Vanuatu) in the South Pacific. The commander of the 

expedition, Pedro de Quiros, thought this was the 

great south land. Soon afterwards, his ship was swept 

away by a current and disappeared. Later, it was 

discovered that de Quiros had sailed back to Spain 

via Mexico. This left the captain of one of the other 

ships to take charge of the expedition. His name was 

Luis Vaez de Torres. 

Torres led the remaining two ships westward and 

sailed along the southern coast of New Guinea. 

Some time in 1606, he sighted some islands further 

south—those off Cape York Peninsula. Torres had 

found the sea passage, or strait, between Australia 

Answer these questions. 

1. The modern map below shows the route Torres took from Callao to Manila. Use an 

atlas to help you write the following countries and features on the map. 

• New Guinea • Philippines • Australia • Indian Ocean 

• Pacific Ocean • Callao • Torres Strait 

and New Guinea. This proved that New Guinea was 

not joined to Australia. The expedition then sailed for 

the Philippines, arriving in May 1607. 

Torres’s discovery was kept a secret by the Spanish— 

they did not want any other seafaring nations to know! 

They did a good job—it wasn’t until 1762 that the 

details of Torres’s voyage were found by the British. 

The sea passage then became known as Torres 

Strait. 

The Spanish carracks were 

excellent long haul ships, 

capable of travelling vast 

distances while carrying 

large cargoes 



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THE BEGINNING 

The Spanish – 2 

2. True or False? 

(a) Torres sighted some islands off Cape York Peninsula. .............................................. True False 

(b) The New Hebrides is now called Callao. .................................................................... True False 

(c) Torres Strait is a sea passage that lies between New Guinea and Australia. ............ True False 

(d) Quiros thought he had found the ‘south land’. ........................................................ True False 

(e) In 1606, the British found out about Torres’s discovery. .......................................... True False 

3. Why did the Spanish try to keep Torres’s discovery a secret? 

4. List words to describe the sort of person you think Torres might have been. 

ART 

make this box a scroll 

big enough for kids to 

write on. 

5. What was so important about Torres’s discovery? 

Spanish carrack sailing towards Cape York Peninsula 

6. Imagine you are Torres. How did you feel when you discovered that de Quiros’s ship had disappeared? 



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7. Order these events from the text. 

(a) Torres Strait is discovered. .................................................................................................................. 

(b) Pedro de Quiros’s ship disappears. ..................................................................................................... 

(c) The Spanish ships leave Callao. ......................................................................................................... 

(d) Torres’s ship arrives in Manila. .......................................................................................................... 


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THE BEGINNING 




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Ships to 1606 

THE BEGINNING 

dugout canoe Chinese junk 



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Quiz – The beginning 

THE BEGINNING 

1. During the ice age, great amounts of sea water were 

stored in polar icecaps, causing the sea level to be 

lower or higher than at present? 

2. It is believed Aboriginal people used watercraft often 

made from which material to travel to the northern 

part of Australia? 

3. It is thought that Australia was once joined to: 

(a) New Zealand (b) Papua New Guinea 

4. Two goods Aboriginal people collected for trading 

were … 

t and p 

s . 

5. The Macassans took d 

c to Australia for trading. 

6. The Macassans travelled to Australia to collect 

trepang for people from which country? 

7. Trepang were boiled, buried and then 

to preserve them. 

8. It is believed Aboriginal people have lived in 

Australia for at least 40 000 years. True or false? 

11. A well-known Chinese explorer of the 1400s was: 

(a) Zheng He ................................. 

(b) Vasco da Gama ........................ 

(c) Luis Vaez de Torres .................. 

12. Which two nations agreed to the Treaty of 

Tordesillas? 

13. What is a caravel? 

(a) a type of map .......................... 

(b) a type of ship ........................... 

(c) a type of sailor ......................... 

14. British author Gavin Menzies wrote a book called 

1421—the year 

discovered 

the world. 

15. All historians agree that the Chinese visited 

Australia in the 1400s. True or false? 

16. A mysterious shipwreck supposed to lie beneath 

sand dunes in Victoria is known as the 

Ship. 

17. The island called ‘Jave la Grande’ on European 

maps of the 1500s is thought to be which country? 



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18. In the 1400s and 1500s, Portugal made its fortune 

in the spice trade. True or False? 

9. Aboriginal people used dugout canoes to fish and 

hunt for trepang, turtles and which other creature? 

19. In which year was Torres Strait discovered by the 

Spanish? 

10. What do Aboriginal people call the time when the 

universe, humans and animals were created? 

20. Who was Torres Strait named after? Give his/her full 

name. 

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THE BEGINNING 

The beginning – Answers 

Past land bridges .................................. p. 4 

1. (1) New Guinea 

(2) Tasmania 

(3) Indo-Australian Plate 

(4) Eurasian Plate 

2. Teacher check 

3. Bering, Asia, North America 

Travelling to a new land ....................... p. 7 

1. (a) lower than it is today 

(b) (about) 12 000 years ago 

(c) (about) 40 000 years 

(d) (natural) land bridges 

(e) bamboo 

2. Use a dictionary to find the meaning of these words. 

(a) indigenous: (people who are) native to a particular 

place or country 

(b) population: the total number (of people) living in an 

area 

(c) monsoon: 

a summer rainy season and, also, the wind 

that brings the rain 

3. Some Aboriginal people may have landed in Australia 

‘accidentally’ due to strong winds and monsoons changing 

their course. 


5. (a) – (b) Teacher check 

The Macassan people and trade ..... pp. 8–9 

(a) True 

(b) True 

(c) False 

(d) False 

(e) False 

2. Trepang and pearl shell were traded by the Aboriginal people 

to the Macassan people for items such as dugout canoes, 

spears and rice. The Macassans traded trepang (sea 

cucumbers) to Chinese traders for their silk and tea. 

3. – recorded in rock and bark paintings 

– heard in Aboriginal songs 

– some Asian words have been incorporated into Aboriginal 

languages 


The Chinese and Portuguese – 2 ........ p. 12 

Teacher check 

The Spanish – 1 ................................. p. 13 

The Spanish – 2 ................................ p. 14 

2. (a) True 

(b) False 

(c) True 

(d) True 

(e) True 

3. This would help the exploration by other nations and the 

Spanish did not want them to succeed. 


5. It showed New Guinea was not joined to Australia. 


7. 3, 2, 1, 4 

Quiz questions ................................... p. 17 

1. lower 

2. bamboo 

3. (b) Papua New Guinea 

4. trepang, pearl shell 

5. dugout canoes 

6. China 

7. smoked 

8. True 

9. the dugong 

10. the Dreamtime (or Dreaming) 

11. (a) Zheng He 

12. Portugal and Spain 

13. (b) a type of ship 

14. China 

15. False 

16. Mahogany 

17. Australia 

18. True 

19. 1606 

20. Luis Vaez de Torres 



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THE 

DUTCH 



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The Duyfken 

Name: 

Class: 

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The Dutch 


Introduction 

In the 1600s, the Netherlands was one of several European nations 

keen to discover the legendary ‘great south land’ or Terra Australis 

Incognita (the unknown south land). Dutch ships, owned by the 

powerful trading company the VOC (the Dutch East India Company), 

were sent on voyages of exploration to find, among other things, the 

fabled south land—and consequently discovered, largely by accident, 

parts of Australia. Other Dutch ships found Australia when they were 

blown off-course on the journey from the Netherlands to the Dutch East 

Indies (now Indonesia), where the Dutch dominated the profitable spice 

trade. 

In 1606, Dutch sea captain Willem Jansz and his crew aboard the small 

ship Duyfken were the first Europeans to sight and (evidently) land on 

the Australian mainland, at Cape York Peninsula. Thanks to Jansz and 

other Dutch navigators, by 1628, much of the western and southern 

coastlines of Australia had been mapped. But within a few decades, 

the Dutch were losing interest in the land they had come to call New 

Holland. Dutch explorers brought home disappointing reports of a 

barren land, devoid of precious metals, gems or spices. The west coast 

of Australia was also proving dangerous for the VOC’s ships. By the 

late 1600s, the Dutch had abandoned any ideas of claiming parts of 

Australia for the Netherlands. 

Major Dutch explorers involved in mapping Australia 

Date Name Ship 

1606 Willem Jansz Duyfken 

1616 Dirk Hartog Eendracht 

1618 

Haevik Claeszoon 

Zeewolf 

Leenaert Jacobsz 

Mauritius 

1619 Frederik de Houtman Dordrecht, Amsterdam 

1622 unknown Leeuwin 

1623 Jan Carstensz Pera, Arnhem 

1627 François Thijssen/Pieter Nuyts Gulden Zeepaert 

1628 Gerrit Frederikszoon de Witt Vianen 

1642/1644 Abel Tasman 

Heemskerck, Zeehaen (1642) 

Limmen, Zeemeeuw, Bracq (1644) 

1696/7 Willem de Vlamingh Geelvinck, Nyptangh, Weseltje 

Known Dutch shipwrecks off the Australian coast in the 1600s 

Date Ship Location 

1629 Batavia Houtman’s Abrolhos, off Western Australian coast 

1656 Vergulde Draeck near Ledge Point, off Western Australian coast 


• View photographs of Dutch shipwrecks of the 1600s/1700s. 

• Write a poem that describes how you think it might have felt to have been a Dutch explorer of the 1600s. 

• Research different spices that were considered valuable in the 1600s, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper. Why was there such a huge 

demand for spices? 

• Use the Internet (www.duyfken.com) to find information about the replica of the Duyfken landed in 1999 in Fremantle, Western Australia. 

• Write a description of the type of ‘great south land’ you think the Dutch would have preferred to have found. Create a map of your imaginary 

land. Add a legend. 

• Create a glossary of some basic Dutch words. 



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Dutch shipwrecks 

Many ships were wrecked off the coast of Western 

Australia during voyages of exploration. 

• The Vergulde Draeck sank near Ledge Point in 

1656. Seventy-fi ve of her crew survived the wreck 

and seven rowed to Batavia for help. But when a 

rescue party arrived, there was no sign of the rest 

of the crew. In 1963, the wreck was discovered. 

Some of the items that were found included 

silver coins, cannons, elephant tusks, jugs, brass 

utensils, tools and glass bottles. 

• The Zuytdorp was wrecked in 1712 somewhere 

between Kalbarri and Shark Bay. The wreck was 

found in the 1960s. As well as pieces of the ship, 

there were also thousands of silver coins. It is 

believed that some people survived the wreck; 

however, no-one knows what happened to them. 


Research another Dutch shipwreck of the 

1700s, the Zeewijk. Note some details on a 

separate sheet of paper. 

The great south land 

Between the 1400s and 1900s in Europe, many people 

believed that a ‘great south land’ or ‘unknown south 

land’ (Terra Australis Incognita) existed. This land 

was supposed to be rich in everything from gold and 

diamonds to timber and elephants! The quest to find 

this great south land was the cause of many explorers 

discovering Australia—often accidentally! 

List three features you think a ‘perfect’ 

imaginary land should have. 

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The Zeewijk sailing 

towards land 

22 

The spice trade 

In the 1600s in Europe, spices like cinnamon 

and pepper were very valuable. They not 

only flavoured food, they were also used as 

medicines and for preserving food. Countries 

like Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and 

England competed with each other to trade 

with and colonise spice-producing countries 

like China, India and the East Indies (now 

Indonesia). Some of the places the Dutch 

controlled were the Malay Peninsula, Ceylon 

(now Sri Lanka) and much of Indonesia. 

Find a partner. On a separate sheet 

of paper, write the names of as many 

different spices as you can in five 

minutes. Compare your list with 

another pair’s. 

The Dutch East India Company 

red 

white 

blue 

O C 

In the early 1600s, the Dutch came to dominate 

the spice trade. This was mostly due to the 

actions of a company called the Dutch East 

India Company (known as the ‘VOC’). The 

VOC sent out many ships to find and trade with 

spice-producing countries. By the middle of 

the seventeenth century, the VOC was the largest 

and richest company in the world. It owned 

over 100 ships and had tens of thousands of 

employees. 

One VOC flag is shown above. Copy and colour 

it, then design a new VOC flag you think shows 

its interests and achievements. 

Use the Internet to find out what VOC 

stands for. 


Selection of spices 



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THE DUTCH 


Life on board ship 

Imagine you are a Dutch sailor in 

the 1600s. You are offered a job 

on board a ship that is to travel 

to the Dutch East Indies (now 

Indonesia). Here is what you can 

expect: 

• from six to 12 months at sea 

• sleeping on the deck or in 

cold, stuffy quarters in a 

hammock 

• a main diet of fi sh, salty meat 

(sometimes), hard ship’s 

biscuits (made from fl our 

and water), cheese, dried 

beans and peas and bread 

• lots of hard work for terrible 

pay 

• a good chance of getting sick 

or even dying from diseases 

like (mainly) scurvy and 

typhus. 

Based on this description, 

why do you think anyone 

would take the job? 

Dutch ships 

Many Dutch explorers of the early 

1600s sailed in a type of small 

ship called a ‘jacht’. Jachts were 

fast-moving and easy to steer, so 

they were useful for sailing in 

unknown waters. The Duyfken, 

the Dutch ship that visited the 

Australian coast in 1606, was a 

jacht. It was 19 metres long and 

could hold about 20 crew. 

Use the Internet or 

another resource to help 

you sketch a picture of the 

Duyfken. 

Time line 

1606 Willem Jansz and his crew, aboard the Duyfken, become 

the first Europeans on record to sight and chart part of the 

Australian coastline, at Cape York Peninsula. 

1616 Dirk Hartog is the first Dutch sailor to discover the west 

coast of Australia. 

1618 Haevik Claeszoon, aboard the Zeewolf, and Leenaert 

Jacobsz, aboard the Mauritius, both visit the Western 

Australian coastline, near Exmouth Gulf. 

1619 Frederik de Houtman possibly anchors near the location of 

the future Swan River colony. 

1623 Jan Carstensz visits the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York 

Peninsula. 

1627 Pieter Nuyts makes sure the southern coast of Western 

Australia is mapped while on the Gulden Zeepaert. 

1628 Gerrit Frederikszoon de Witt, aboard the Vianen, sights 

part of the western coast of Australia, calling it de Witt’s 

Land. 

1629 The Batavia, under the command of François Pelsaert, is 

wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos. A mutiny follows and 

125 people are murdered. 

1642 Abel Tasman discovers Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). 

1644 Abel Tasman maps part of the Northern Territory–Western 

Australian coastline. 

1696–7 Willem de Vlamingh explores Rottnest Island and the Swan 

River and charts the Western Australian coastline to North 

West Cape. 

Ordinary Dutch sailor 

Dutch sea captain 

Sailors’ clothing 

One of the pictures opposite 

shows the clothing of an ordinary 

Dutch sailor of the 1600s. The 

other shows the clothing of a 

Dutch sea captain. 

With a partner, compare the 

two sets of clothing. 

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THE DUTCH 

Willem Jansz – 1 

In 1606, the Dutch became the fi rst Europeans on record to visit Australia when Captain Willem Jansz and 

his crew sailed to Cape York Peninsula in present-day Queensland. Jansz had been employed by the Dutch 

East India Company (the VOC) to sail from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) to find New Guinea and 

other ‘east- and south-lands’. The Dutch were particularly keen to find gold and trading opportunities. 

Follow Jansz’s voyage on the map. 

Jansz leaves Bantam in November 1605 with 

about 20 crew on the small ship Duyfken. 

The Duyfken sails to the Banda Islands, then to 

the Kai and Aru Islands. 

Jansz reaches New Guinea early in 1606. He 

sails along its south coast, occasionally going 

ashore. Fights break out between his crew and 

the indigenous people. Eight of the Dutch are 

killed. 

Jansz continues south but thinks Torres Strait 

is a bay. He sails into the Gulf of Carpentaria 

and lands on Cape York Peninsula, thinking 

it is part of New Guinea. 

Jansz sails further into the Gulf, mapping 200 

km of the coast. His crew reportedly search for 

food and water ashore, but have little success. 

Jansz decides to return to the Dutch East 

Indies. He turns the ship around at a place 

he calls ‘Keerweer’ (‘turn again’ in Dutch). 

Today, it is known as Cape Keerweer. On the 

way back up the coast, the Duyfken lands at 

the mouth of the Dulcie River. According to 

some oral history of the indigenous people of 

Cape York, the crew apparently try to kidnap 

some Aboriginal women. Fighting breaks out 

and one crew member is killed. 



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Back in the Dutch East Indies, Jansz reports 

that the land he found does not seem to have 

any trading opportunities or gold and is 

unsuitable for settlement. A map based on 

Jansz’s charts is made years later. It shows 

Cape York Peninsula as part of New Guinea. 

Willem Jansz excited about sighting land 


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THE DUTCH 

Willem Jansz – 2 

1. Use an atlas to help you add these modern placenames to the map on page 24. 

Islands 

Cities 

Water bodies 

Countries 

Java, Sulawesi, Ambon, Timor, Bali 

Jakarta, Darwin, Port Morseby 

Timor Sea, Indian Ocean, Arafura Sea 

New Guinea, Australia, Indonesia 

2. After completing Question 1, look at the map on page 24 to answer these questions. 

(a) Which body of water separates Australia from New Guinea? 

(b) Which is further north, the Banda Islands or Cape Keerweer? 

(c) Is the Gulf of Carpentaria an island? 

(d) True or False? Torres Strait separates Australia from Indonesia. 

(e) Which is larger, Java or Timor? 

3. Read the text on page 24 to answer these questions. 

(a) What does ‘Keerweer’ mean in Dutch? 

(b) How many Duyfken crew members were killed in total? 

(c) Give one reason why Jansz thought the land he had found was ‘no good’. 

(d) Why do you think Jansz decided to return to the Dutch East Indies at Cape Keerweer? 

(e) What was wrong with maps that were made based on Jansz’s charts? 

4. Write your opinion of these events. 

(a) The crew of the Duyfken reportedly trying to 

kidnap Aboriginal women 

Willem Jansz 



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(b) Jansz deciding to turn back at Cape 

Keerweer 

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Dirk Hartog – 1 

Did you know? 

• In 1616, Dirk Hartog became the first Dutch sailor 

to discover the west coast of Australia. But it was by 

mistake! Hartog was supposed to have sailed from 

the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies (now 

Indonesia) but he was blown off-course by strong 

westerly winds called the ‘roaring forties’. 

• Dirk Hartog’s ship was called the Eendracht. It was 

owned by the powerful Dutch East India Company 

(the VOC). The Eendracht left the Netherlands 

in the company of two other ships, but was soon 

separated from them during a storm. 

• Nine months into the Eendracht’s voyage, Hartog 

sighted a small group of islands which appeared 

to be uninhabited. The Eendracht was anchored, 

and Hartog and his crew rowed ashore to one of the 

barren islands. It was narrow, with limestone cliffs 

on one side and sand dunes on the other. Today, this 

island is known as Dirk Hartog Island. 

• Hartog recorded his visit to Dirk Hartog Island by 

taking a pewter dinner plate ashore, beating it 

flat, inscribing it and nailing it to a pole which he 

erected on the northern tip of the island. This place 

is now called ‘Cape Inscription’. 

• The inscription on Hartog’s plate says: 

1616. On 25th October there arrived here 

the ship Eendracht of Amsterdam. 

Upper-merchant Gilles Miebais 

of Liege. skipper Dirk Hartog of 

Amsterdam. 

On 27th ditto. she set sail again for 

Bantam. 

Under-merchant Jan Stins. upper 

steersman Pieter Doekes of Bil. In the 

year 1616. 

This is the plate placed on Dirk Hartog island 

• Hartog and his crew spent a few days exploring and 

mapping the island group they had found, before 

heading north up the Western Australian coastline. 

Hartog mapped the coastline as far as North West 

Cape. Then he headed back to Bantam (near 

present-day Banten) in Indonesia. He reported to 

the VOC that he was largely unimpressed with the 

land he had found. 

• Hartog’s pewter plate was found in 1697 by another 

Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh. It is now kept 

in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. 

• The journals and maps Hartog made during his 

voyage have unfortunately been lost. 

Use the text to answer the questions. 

1. Rewrite the inscription on Hartog’s plate in 

‘modern’ English. Read it carefully first—you may 

want to change the order of some of the words or 

facts. 



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THE DUTCH 

Dirk Hartog – 2 

2. Imagine you are Dirk Hartog. Instead of leaving a pewter dinner plate to prove your discovery of Dirk Hartog 

Island, you decide to leave a time capsule. In your time capsule, you have room for: 

• a piece of paper giving information about the voyage and your feelings about what has happened so far, 

and 

• three small objects that will give people in the future interesting information about life at sea in the 1600s. 

Draw and label each and explain why you think it should go in the time capsule. 

You can use resources such as the text on page 26, the Internet and encyclopedias to help you. Write your 

information and ideas on a sheet of paper first, then complete the details below. 

Voyage and feelings: 

Three objects: 



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Jan Carstensz – 1 

In the early 1620s, the Dutch were still interested 

in the largely unknown ‘south land’. The ‘south 

land’ to the Dutch by now included New Guinea and 

the parts of Australia they had discovered—they still 

believed the two were joined. 

There were several reasons for Dutch interest in the 

south land. They wanted to: 

• find precious metals, gems and spices, 

• discover opportunities for trading goods with 

indigenous people, and 

• map more of the coastline to decrease the risk of 

shipwrecks. 

With this in mind, in 1623, the Governor-General 

of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), Pieter 

de Carpentier, sent two small ships on a voyage of 

exploration under the command of Jan Carstensz. 

The ships—the Pera and the Arnhem—set sail from 

Batavia (now Jakarta) with Carstensz aboard the Pera. 

Both ships landed at the islands of Taminbar, Kai and 

Aru to set up trade treaties with the islanders. They 

then sailed to the south-west coast of New Guinea. 

Here, the crew fought with indigenous people and 

deaths occurred on both sides. 

The voyage continued, with the ships sailing down 

the western coast of Cape York Peninsula. Here, 

Carstensz named the Gulf of Carpentaria, in honour 

of de Carpentier. But like Willem Jansz, Carstensz 

thought the peninsula was joined to New Guinea. He 

believed that Torres Strait was a ‘bight’—another 

word for a bay. 

The crew of the Pera and the Arnhem made several 

landings on Cape York Peninsula. Carstensz wrote 

that they walked ‘a considerable distance into the 

interior’, finding ‘fine, flat countryside with few 

trees’ as well as a beach with plenty of fish. He noted 

that there seemed to be no fresh water. The landing 

party also captured an Aboriginal man. The next day, 

they were attacked by around 200 angry Aboriginal 

people. 

The ships continued south down the peninsula. Here, 

the crew saw ‘great volumes of smoke’ and people 

peering at them from among the trees. But the Dutch 


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were unable to land because of deep mud. By now, 

Carstensz was becoming increasingly disappointed 

with the land he had found. He thought it ‘barren and 

arid’ and ‘overgrown with brushwood and stunted 

wild trees’. Soon, he decided to return to Batavia. 

He had now charted around 600 kilometres of Cape 

York Peninsula. Carstensz marked the southernmost 

point of his exploration by nailing a wooden tablet to 

a tree. 

Carstensz wanted to return to Batavia by retracing 

his route along the coast. But the captain of the 

Arnhem, Willem van Colster, had other ideas. Against 

Carstensz’s instructions, the Arnhem cut away from 

the Pera. It would take a shorter route back to 

Batavia across the Gulf of Carpentaria and then north 

to Batavia. In doing so, the Arnhem sailed past the 

north–eastern corner of the Northern Territory. The 

Aboriginal reserve that lies in the Northern Territory 

today is now known as Arnhem Land. The crew of the 

Arnhem also sighted the nearby Wessel Islands. 

Back at Cape York, Carstensz was furious with 

van Colster for disobeying him. He wrote that van 

Colster had been uncooperative throughout the 

voyage, straying off course many times. When the 

Pera arrived in Batavia two weeks after the Arnhem, 

Carstensz reported that the land he had explored was 

‘unproductive’ and inhabited by ‘primitive people’ 

who ‘had no knowledge of metals or spices’. However, 

geographical information gained by Carstensz had a 

great influence on Dutch maps that appeared over 

the next few years. 



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Long journeys of exploration were hard on all crew members 


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THE DUTCH 

Jan Carstensz – 2 

Congratulations! 

You have been chosen to produce a movie version of the voyage of the Pera and the Arnhem. The movie 

will be largely based on Carstensz’s journal. You begin by making three vital decisions. 

1. (a) Which actor will play the part of Jan Carstensz? Give reasons for your choice. 

(b) Where will most of the movie be shot? Give reasons for your choice. 

(c) Who will be the target audience of your movie (e.g. children, teenagers, adults etc.)? Give reasons for 

your choice. 

Next, you begin planning the actual scenes of the movie. 

2. List the two scenes you think will be the most interesting or exciting 

in the movie; for example, ‘The Pera cuts away from the Arnhem’. 

• 

• 

Sailing towards uncharted land 



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3. Imagine how each scene will look and sound. Describe any interesting sound or visual effects each scene 

will contain. 

Scene 1 Scene 2 

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THE DUTCH 

Pieter Nuyts – 1 

In 1627, the Gulden Zeepaert reached the southwest 

coast of Australia and travelled along the 

Great Australian Bight as far as Ceduna. Officers on 

board included François Thijssen, the captain and 

Pieter Nuyts, a high-ranking official of the Dutch East 

India Company. They had been travelling from the 

Netherlands to Batavia but the strong Southern Ocean 

winds blew them too far south and they reached the 

coast at Cape Leeuwin on 26 January. 

The captain, with the support of Pieter Nuyts, decided 

to explore the uncharted waters of the southern coast. 

To map the shoreline, the captain sailed close to land 

as those on board watched the majestic cliffs rise 

above the waters of the wild ocean. 

The Gulden Zeepaert sailed eastwards for 1500 

kilometres. Thijssen named Nuyts Land, St Peter 

Island and St Francis Island. The group of islands of 

which St Peter and St Francis are a part, he named 

Nuyts Archipelago. From here, Thijssen turned the 

ship around and headed for Batavia. 

After almost a year at sea, the Gulden Zeepaert 

arrived in Batavia. Thijssen had produced excellent 

charts of the coastline which were praised in future 

years by French and British explorers for their detail 

and accuracy. But at what cost to human life and 

suffering? The lack of fresh food and water led to 

scurvy, cholera and dehydration. Unhygienic living 

conditions, infested with rats and cockroaches, 

resulted in dysentery. Medical facilities on board were 

very basic. Some of the passengers and crew died on 

the voyage, while others became seriously ill. 



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1. Not everyone on board the Gulden Zeepaert would have been happy with Thijssen’s decision to explore the 

south coast. In the table, write arguments for and against the captain’s decision. 

For 

Against 

2. Would you have agreed or disagreed with Thijssen’s decision? Agreed Disagreed 

3. Why do you think Thijssen and Nuyts wanted to explore an uncharted coastline? 


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THE DUTCH 

Pieter Nuyts – 2 

1. Label these places on the map: Perth, Adelaide, Ceduna, Cape Leeuwin, Nuyts Land, Nuyts Archipelago. 

2. Draw the route taken by the Gulden Zeepaert along the south coast. 

3. Draw a compass rose on the map. 

4. Illustrate the map with a selection of maritime sketches; e.g. a sailing ship, a mermaid, a whale. 

ART 

Map of southern Australian 

coast 



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Francisco Pelsaert – 1 

THE DUTCH 

The Dutch ship Batavia left 

its home port of Texel on 27 

October 1628. With a cargo 

of coins, jewels and ivory, it 

was on course for the East 

Francisco Pelsaert Indies. 

The ship was owned by the Dutch East India Company 

and the commander on board was the merchant, 

Francisco Pelsaert. The purpose of the voyage was 

to exchange the cargo for valuable spices and other 

riches which were highly valued by the Europeans. 

The route to Asia took Batavia south, to the Cape of 

Good Hope at the tip of the African continent. Here 

the ship could be restocked with fresh supplies and 

necessary repairs could be made. 

While on land, the ship’s captain Jacobsz and another 

merchant, Cornelisz, became very drunk and were 

severely reprimanded by Pelsaert for their dreadful 

behaviour. Neither man liked being spoken to in this 

way. 

With the agreement of some other crew who were 

unhappy with conditions on board, Jacobsz and 

Cornelisz decided they would seize control and run 

Batavia as a pirate ship, attacking and stealing from 

any ship they saw. But before the plan could be set 

in motion, disaster struck. In the early morning of 4 

June 1629, Batavia ran aground on a reef close to 

the Abrolhos Islands, off the west coast of Australia. 

Most of the crew survived and eventually struggled to 

the safety of small islands nearby. 

1. Complete the fact file on the ill-fated voyage of the Batavia. 

(a) Name of ship 

(b) Captain 

(c) Commander 

(d) Owner 

(e) Country of origin 

(f) Date of sailing 

(g) Cargo 

(h) Route Cape Horn ❑ Cape of Good Hope ❑ 

The next day, Pelsaert took a lifeboat with most of the 

ship’s officers and officials of the East India Company 

and continued north to Batavia (now Jakarta in 

Indonesia). Captain Jacobsz travelled with them as 

navigator. Pelsaert intended to return as soon as 

possible to rescue the survivors. 

Cornelisz still wanted a life of piracy and announced 

that he would take control of any ship which came 

to rescue them. He and his followers brutally killed 

many of the survivors who would not support his 

actions. 

Almost three months after the wreck of the Batavia, 

Pelsaert returned. Discovering the massacre, he 

immediately put the offenders on trial and many 

of them, including Cornelisz, were executed. Two 

mutineers, Wouter Loos and Jan Pelgrom De Bye, 

were marooned close to Dirk Hartog Island. They 

were given a small boat and some provisions. They 

were never heard of again. 

Pelsaert recovered most of the cargo from the wreck 

of Batavia. But on his return to Batavia, the East India 

Company refused to pay him for his work and to give 

him the job they had promised to him. They believed 

that, somehow, Pelsaert had cheated the company. 

The courts thought he should have brought Cornelisz 

and his men back to Batavia for trial instead of acting 

alone. In both cases, he was unable to clear his name 

and when he died, a short time later, he was a very 

unhappy man. 



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Francisco Pelsaert – 2 

THE DUTCH 

2. State the reason for Batavia failing to reach her destination: 

3. (a) Do you think Pelsaert should have brought Cornelisz and his followers 

back to Batavia for trial? yes no 

(b) Give reasons for and against Pelsaert’s decision to deal with the offenders immediately. 

For … 

Against … 

4. If you had been in Pelsaert’s position, what would you have done and why? 

Castaway crawling to safety on shore 

Batavia pounded by large waves while 

aground on rocks 



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5. (a) In groups, plan an outline for a play titled ‘Wreck of the Batavia’. 

(b) Below, list the characters and the main events. 

(c) As a group, write a script for your play on a separate sheet of paper. 

(d) Perform your play to the rest of the class. 

characters 

main events 

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THE DUTCH 

The story of Abel Tasman – 1 

Imagine it is the 1600s. You are Abel Tasman, an experienced Dutch sea captain. In 1642, the Governor- 

General of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), Antonie Van Diemen, says to you: 

Antonie Van Diemen 

Tasman, the Dutch East India Company (the VOC) and I would like you to 

go on a voyage of exploration. We want you to do these things: 

• Find a new sea route from the East Indies to South America. 

• Find out more about the south land. For example, are there precious 

metals? What are the people like? Are they keen to trade with us? Map, 

draw and describe whatever you see. 

On 14 August, 1642, you sail from Batavia (now Jakarta) with two ships under your command—the 

Heemskerck and the Zeehaen. After landing at the island of Mauritius, you head south until strong winds 

force you east across the Indian Ocean. On 17 November, you sight land. You don’t know it now, but this is 

the western coast of Tasmania. Yes—one day it will be named after you! You sail south, then east around the 

coast, sketching and mapping as you go, and round what will one day be named the Tasman Peninsula. Here 

you go ashore. One of your crew later describes what you see. 

We walked into a dark, thick forest and heard odd noises that sounded 

a bit like trumpets and gongs. Some of the crew also thought they 

heard voices. We all felt as if we were being watched. Even stranger 

were the notches we found cut into some of the trees. They looked like 

steps. They were so far apart that we wondered if this land is inhabited 

by giants. I was glad to go back to the ship in the end. 

Many years later, it would be discovered that the strange sounds were probably bird calls. The notches were 

footholds that had been cut by Aborigines to help them climb the trees. 

The next day, you try to make another landing, but the sea is too rough. So you send the ship’s carpenter into 

the surf instead! He swims ashore and places a pole carved with the VOC’s mark and a Dutch flag. You have 

claimed the land for the Netherlands! You call it ‘Van Diemen’s Land’. 

Now you decide to continue sailing to the east. You soon sight New Zealand’s South Island and sail up its coast 

to the North Island, passing the entrance to Cook Strait. Well done—you are the first European on record to 

see New Zealand! You head back to the East Indies via Tonga and Fiji and arrive there in June 1643. But Van 

Diemen is not pleased to see you … 

So where are the precious metals and other 

goods? What about the route to South America? 

You didn’t talk to any people, did you? What 

were you doing with your time, Tasman? 

Crew member from the Zeehaen 



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Um … Do I get another 

chance? 

Abel Tasman 


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THE DUTCH 


1. The map below shows the route of Tasman’s voyage in 1642. 

(a) Below is a list of placenames that are mentioned in the text about Tasman’s voyage. Use an atlas to help you 

write each in its correct position on the map. 

• Batavia (Jakarta) • Mauritius • Tonga • Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) 

• Tasman Peninsula • Cook Strait • New Zealand • Indian Ocean 

(b) Use your atlas to help you find six other cities, islands, countries or water bodies (e.g. oceans) that could be 

labelled on the map. List them below and then write them on the map. 



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2. Imagine you are an Aboriginal Australian secretly watching Tasman and his crew as they land on Van Diemen’s 

Land – your home! Describe your feelings as you hide and watch the Dutch walk around. Remember, this is the 

first time you have ever seen a white person! 

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THE DUTCH 


It is now January 1644, seven months after your return from your disappointing first voyage of exploration 

for Governor-General Van Diemen. Despite the fact that Van Diemen would probably like to rename you 

‘un-Abel’ Tasman, he decides to send you on another voyage. By now, Australia (at least, the parts that have 

been discovered by the Dutch) is called New Holland—thanks to you. 

I’m going to give you another chance to get things right, Tasman. 

The main things I’d like you to achieve on this voyage are: 

• Find out more about the south land—AGAIN. 

• Search for the new route to South America—AGAIN. 

• Go back to Van Diemen’s Land (good choice of name, by the 

way!) and then circumnavigate New Holland. 

You set off from Indonesia with three ships. But like other Dutch explorers, you believe Torres Strait is a bay. 

Therefore, you think Australia is joined to New Guinea. You sail round the Gulf of Carpentaria and then map 

the coasts of what are now the Northern Territory and Western Australia. When you reach North West Cape, 

you head back to Batavia. Van Diemen is waiting for you … 

Abel Tasman 


Governor-General, I found nothing much of value on my expedition. 

New Holland is one big disappointment. But on the bright side, I have 

proved that the northern and western parts of New Holland are joined. 

And thanks to me, we know more about its shape. 



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I really don’t think that such a big place 

as New Holland is going to have nothing 

much to offer. I’ll send some better 

people to go exploring in the future. 

But with Van Diemen’s death in 1645, Dutch interest in exploring New Holland begins to wane. Although 

your reports indicate that the climate and plant life of Tasmania and New Zealand seem good, the Dutch are 

not interested in settlement. Instead, they want to find people keen to trade with them, or precious metals, 

gems or spices—none of which had been found on your expeditions. The cost and effort needed for further 

exploration did not seem worthwhile. 

As for you, you continue to work for the VOC, although you will never sail around the Australian coast again. You 

die in 1659 in Batavia. The name ‘Van Diemen’s Land’ is later changed to ‘Tasmania’ in 1856 in your honour. 


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THE DUTCH 


Imagine that Governor-General Van Diemen is asked to report back to the Dutch 

East India Company about Tasman’s voyages. Complete his report below. 

• I thought Tasman’s first voyage was 

• I think Tasman should now 

because 

I thought Tasman’s second voyage was 

because 

• Tasman’s greatest achievement was: 

exploring Van Diemen’s Land. ..................... 

finding New Zealand. .................................... 

mapping part of New Holland. ..................... 

proving that the northern and western 

parts of New Holland are joined. ................... 

other: 

• The sort of person I would choose next time to 

go on a voyage of exploration would be 

• I think we should continue to explore the south 

land because 

• I think I deserve to have Van Diemen’s Land 

named after me because 



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• These are some words I would use to describe 

Tasman: 

• Some words I would use to describe New Holland 

are: 

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THE DUTCH 

Willem de Vlamingh – 1 

Many Western Australians know Willem de Vlamingh as the man who named Rottnest Island, a small 

holiday island about 20 kilometres off the coast of Perth. But not many know the full story. Read these 

facts about Willem de Vlamingh’s life. 

• Vlamingh was born in 1640 in the Netherlands. 

In 1696, he was chosen by the Dutch East India 

Company (the VOC) to lead the last major Dutch 

voyage of exploration to the ‘south land’. This 

expedition had four purposes: 

1. To find a missing Dutch ship, the Ridderschap 

van Holland. This VOC ship had vanished in 

1694 somewhere in the Indian Ocean. It was 

thought that it may have been wrecked off the 

western coast of New Holland. 

2. To look for survivors of the Vergulde Draeck. 

3. To chart the western coast of New Holland and 

explore its inland areas. 

4. To capture a native of the South Land. 

• Vlamingh’s expedition set out on 3 May 1696. 

There were three ships under his command—the 

Geelvinck, the Nyptangh and the Weseltje. On the 

voyage to New Holland, the fleet searched for the 

missing ship at two small islands in the Indian 

Ocean—St Paul Island and Amsterdam Island. But 

there was no trace of the ship or any survivors. 

• On Christmas Day 1696, an island was sighted by 

the crew of the Nyptangh. When the Dutch landed 

on the island, they found ‘a kind of rat as big as a 

common cat’. This was what is known 

today as a quokka, a type of 

wallaby. The island was named 

Rottenest (‘Rat’s nest’) by the 

map-maker and artist, Victor 

Victorszoon. 

• From Rottnest, the 

ships sailed to where 

the city of 

Fremantle 

now stands. 

Quokka from Rottnest Island 

Some of the crew went ashore and discovered 

a river, on which they also found black swans. 

Victorszoon named the river Zwane-rivier or Swan 

River. Vlamingh’s men travelled some 20 kilometres 

up the river. The fleet then headed north along the 

coast. 

Black swan and cygnet 

• On the voyage north, Vlamingh charted the coast as 

far as North West Cape, landing several times. One 

of these landings was on Dirk Hartog Island. Here, 

Vlamingh found Dirk Hartog’s pewter plate that he 

had left 81 years before. Vlamingh removed Hartog’s 

plate to take back to the Netherlands and left his 

own, nailed to a pole (made from a tree trunk from 

Rottnest). 

• In February 1697, Vlamingh’s fleet headed for the 

Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Once there, he 

reported that there was no sign of the Ridderschap 

van Holland and that the land he had seen was 

dry, with no obvious opportunities for trading and 

few useful resources. As well as Hartog’s plate, 

Vlamingh showed some plants, shells and oil from 

timber he found on Rottnest Island, black swans 

and illustrations done by the ship’s artist. 



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• The plate Vlamingh left on Dirk Hartog Island was 

found by French sailors in 1801. It had fallen off the 

pole, so they re-attached it. In 1818, French explorer 

Louis de Freycinet took it to France, where it went 

missing for many years. In 1940, it was found, and 

returned to Australia in 1947. It is now on display 

at the Western Australian Maritime Museum’s 

Shipwreck Galleries. 


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THE DUTCH 

Willem de Vlamingh – 2 

Imagine that the Rottnest Island Museum decides to create an interesting 

display about Vlamingh and his discoveries for its visitors. 

• Decide on six objects, photographs and/or pictures you think should 

be part of the display. 

• Write a simple caption for each. 

• Suggest how or where each might be obtained. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Object, photograph or 

picture? 

Vlamingh display 

Caption 

Willem de Vlamingh 

How/Where to obtain 



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5. 

6. 

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THE DUTCH 

Map summary of Dutch exploration routes of Australia 

1623 Jan Carstensz 

Gulf of Carpentaria 

Named after the Governor- 

General of the Dutch East 

Indies, Pieter de Carpentier. 

1642 Abel Tasman 

New Holland (now Australia) 

The western parts of Australia 

discovered by the Dutch. 

Arnhem Land 

Named after Willem van 

Colsten’s ship. 

1628 Frederikszoon de Witt 

de Witt’s Land 

Area of Western Australia 

from 21°S on the coast 

to approximately 300 km 

further north. 


Groote Eylandt 

(largest island in Gulf of Carpentaria) 

Groote Eylandt means ‘big island’ in 

Dutch. 

1616 Dirk Hartog 

Eendracht Land 

Land north of Dirk Hartog 

Island to North West Cape, 

Western Australia. 

Named after Hartog’s ship, 

the Eendracht. 

1606 Willem Jansz 

Keerweer Island 

(now Cape Keerweer) 

‘Keerweer’ is Dutch for the 

nautical expression ‘turn 

again’. 

1696–1697 Willem de Vlamingh 

Rottnest Island 

Dutch for ‘Rat’s Nest’ – the 

small wallabies on the 

island (quokkas) were 

mistaken for rats. 

1619 Frederik de Houtman 

Edel Land 

Area of land from Geraldton 

north to Shark Bay, Western 

Australia. 

Named after Jacob d’Edel, a 

merchant on one of the ships 

in Houtman’s fl eet. 

* NB: For the sake of clarity, all Dutch placenames on this map have 

been written in English; e.g. ‘Leeuwin Land’ was originally 

‘Land van de Leeuwin’ in Dutch. 

1619 Frederik de Houtman 

Houtman Abrolhos 

Abrolhos is Portuguese 

for ‘Look out!’ 


Van Diemen’s Land 

(now Tasmania) 

Named after the Governor- 

General of the Dutch East 

Indies, Antonie van Diemen. 

1627 Pieter Nuyts/François Thijssen 

Nuyt’s Land 

Region from Cape Leeuwin (WA) to 

Nuyts Archipelago (SA). 



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1619 Leeuwin Land 

(now Cape Leeuwin) 

Named after the Leeuwin 

(‘Lioness’) which sailed from 

the Netherlands to the Dutch 

East Indies in 1621. The 

name is fi rst known to have 

been marked on a chart in 

1627. 


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THE DUTCH 

Map of Dutch exploration routes and accidental contact with Australia in the 17th century 



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THE DUTCH 

country of origin: Netherlands 

type: fast armed ship 

length: approx. 20 m 

displacement, laden: 110 tonnes est. 

hull: wood 

armament: 6–10 light guns 

The Duyfken 


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THE DUTCH 

Quiz – The Dutch 

1. In the 1600s and 1700s, many Dutch ships were 

wrecked off the coast of: 

(a) Tasmania (b) Western Australia (c) Victoria 

13. Who was the first European on record to see New 

Zealand? 

2. The VOC was another name for the 

East India Company. 

3. In which year did the crew of the 

Duyfken visit Australia? 

4. Who was the captain of the Duyfken? 

5. In the early 1600s, the Dutch thought that 

Australia was part of 

New . 

6. What was named after Dirk Hartog? 

(a) a city (b) an animal (c) an island 

7. Which metal was Dirk Hartog’s plate made from? 

8. The Dutch were interested in the ‘south land’ because 

they thought it might have precious gems, metals 

and s . 

9. Jan Carstensz commanded two ships on his 1623 

voyage. One was the Pera. Name the other. 

14. Abel Tasman mapped part of the coastline of 

Western Australia and the 

15. By 1644, the Dutch were calling the parts of 

Australia they had discovered by which name? 

16. Which Dutch explorer found Dirk Hartog’s plate? 

17. Off which island group was Batavia wrecked? 

18. Name the men marooned on the mainland. 

19. Name the ship in which Pieter Nuyts sailed to 

Batavia. 

20. How much did Pieter Nuyts add to his journey by 

exploring the southern coastline? 

(a) 1500 km (b) 3000 km (c) 4500 km 

21. Name the two islands near Ceduna named by 

François Thijssen. 



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. 

10. The Gulf of Carpentaria was named after a Dutch 

explorer. True or False? 

22. What cargo was Batavia carrying when it was 

wrecked ? 

11. Carstensz mapped part of which peninsula? 

12. What is the modern name for Van Diemen’s Land? 

23. How long did it take Francisco Pelsaert to return to 

rescue survivors of Batavia? 

(a) 1 month (b) 3 months (c) 1 year 

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The Dutch – Answers 

THE DUTCH 

Willem Jansz – 2 ................................ p. 25 

1. 

Francisco Pelsaert – 2 ........................ p. 33 

2. Wrecked off the west coast of Australia. 

3. – 4. Teacher check 

The story of Abel Tasman – 2 .............. p. 35 

1. (a) 

2. (a) Torres Strait 

(b) the Banda Islands 

(c) no 

(d) False 

(e) Java 

3. (a) turn again 

(b) nine 

(c) Answers should indicate one of the following: it did not 

seem to have any trading opportunities or gold or it did 

not seem to be suitable for settlement. 

(d) Answers will vary, but should indicate that Jansz had lost 

almost half of his crew or that there was little food or 

water found. 

(e) They showed Australia joined to New Guinea. 


Dirk Hartog – 1 .................................. p. 26 

1. Answers will vary but should be similar to the following: On 

26 October 1616, the ship Eendracht of Amsterdam arrived 

here. The upper-merchant was Gilles Miebais of Liege and the 

captain was Dirk Hartog of Amsterdam. On 27 October 1616, 

the Eendracht set sail for Bantam. The under-merchant was 

Jan Stins and the upper steersman was Pieter Doores of Bil. 

Dirk Hartog – 2 .................................. p. 27 

Teacher check 

Jan Carstensz – 2 ............................... p. 29 

Teacher check 

Pieter Nuyts – 1 .................................. p. 30 

Teacher check 

Pieter Nuyts – 2 .................................. p. 31 

Teacher check 

Francisco Pelsaert – 1 ........................ p. 33 

1. (a) Batavia (b) Jacobsz 

(c) Francisco Pelsaert (d) Dutch East India Company 

(e) Netherlands (f) 27 October 1628 

(g) coins, jewels ivory (h) Cape of Good Hope 

(b) Teacher check 


The story of Abel Tasman – 4 ............. p. 37 

Teacher check 

Willem de Vlamingh – 2 ..................... p. 39 

Teacher check 

Quiz – The Dutch ........................... p. 43 

1. (b) Western Australia 

2. Dutch 

3. 1606 

4. Willem Jansz 

5. Guinea 

6. (c) an island 

7. pewter 

8. spices 

9. the Arnhem 

10. False 

11. Cape York Peninsula 

12. Tasmania 

13. Abel Tasman 

14. Northern Territory 

15. New Holland 

16. Willem de Vlamingh 

17. Abrolhos Islands 

18. Wouter Loos and Jan Pelgrom De Bye 

19. Gulden Zeepaert 

20. (b) 3000 km 

21. St Francis Island, St Peter Island 

22. coins, jewels, ivory 

23. (b) 3 months 



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THE 

FRENCH 



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French ships sailing west towards an unknown horizon 

Name: 

Class: 

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The French 


Introduction 

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, French explorers travelled 

into the Southern Hemisphere on expeditions to discover and 

map the unknown South Land (Terra Australis Incognita) and to 

make scientific discoveries and recordings. While the British were 

looking at and colonising areas of New Holland, the French mapped 

parts of the coastline and studied the flora, fauna and indigenous 

inhabitants. 

At Shark Bay in 1772, St Alouarn buried an Act of Possession, 

claiming the west coast of New Holland (Australia) for the King of 

France. 

Many of the French expeditions resulted in important scientific 

discoveries in anthropology, botany, zoology, astronomy, geography 

and geology. One of the most important French expeditions to 

Australia was led by Nicolas Baudin between 1800 and 1804. Baudin 

was a merchant navy captain, appointed by Napoleon Bonaparte to 

explore the west and south of Terra Australis Incognita. Twentythree 

scientists were appointed to the expedition that consisted 

of two naval ships, the Géographe, captained by Baudin, and the 

Additional Activities 

• Design a poster that commemorates the French accomplishments 

in the discovery, mapping and scientific exploration of Australia. 

Include artwork and text. Explain the significance of your poster 

to the class. 

• In the past, when a new species was discovered in Australia 

its existence couldn’t be proven by taking a quick photograph. 

Scientists and artist drew and painted the new animal or plant. 

The specimen may have also been carefully collected and 

preserved for the return voyage. 

Naturaliste, captained by Jacques Hamelin. The Baudin expedition 

collected samples of 2542 new animal species. This more than 

doubled the number of known animal species in the world! 

Baudin also charted nearly two-thirds of the Australian coastline, 

with 600 kilometres of this coast being charted for the first time. 

Other French explorers such as de Freycinet, Duperrey, d’Urville 

and Laplace continued to visit Australia with possible plans to 

establish a convict colony on the south-west coast. This was until 

the British major, Lockyer, in the Amity, landed at Albany, Western 

Australia, and raised the British flag. This stopped all French hopes 

of colonising parts of Australia. 

Some possible reasons as to why the French were unsuccessful 

in establishing a colony in Australia include the French wars and 

the focus on restoring peace and the economy after Napoleon 

Bonaparte’s departure. 

Note: To help students with the activity on page 57, The naturalists, 

use the website: 

Explorer Ship Dates 

Louis de Bougainville Boudeuse 1767–1768 

Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec Fortune 1771–1772 

François de St Alouarn Gros Ventre 1772 

Marion Dufresne Mascarin and Marquis de Castries 1772 

Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La Perouse Astrolabe and Boussole 1786–1788 

Joseph Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux Recherche and Espérance 1791–1793 

Nicolas Baudin Géographe 1801–1803 

Jacques Felix Emmanuel Hamelin Naturaliste 1801–1803 

Louis de Freycinet Casuarina 1802–1803 

Louis de Freycinet Uranie 1818–1820 

Dumont d’Urville Coquille (renamed Astrolabe) 1826–1829, 1837 

Cyrille Laplace Favorite 1829–1830 



Display Copy 

Use the Internet to create a fact file about one of the talented 

scientists or artists on the Baudin expedition. 

– Charles-Alexandre Lesueur – artist (1778–1846) 

– Jean Leschenault – botanist (1777–1805) 

– François Péron – zoologist (1775–1810) 

– Nicholas-Martin Petit – artist (1777–1805) 

• In a group, discuss what you think Australia’s Indigenous 

inhabitants, the Aboriginal Australians, thought when they saw 

large ships with hundreds of French crewmen anchored off their 

shores. Write, rehearse and act a short scene that presents your 

ideas. 

• Sketch and paint a scene from Josephine’s Garden. Include 

Australian plants and animals. 

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French exploration of 

New Holland 

1768 

Louis Antoine de Bougainville 

was stopped 100 km from the 

coast of New Holland by the 

Great Barrier Reef. 

1792–93 

Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux 

circumnavigates Australia one 

and a half times in the vessel 

Recherche in search of La 

Perouse. Lands in Tasmania 

twice. 

1792 

François Aleno de St Alouarn 

sails along the WA coast, 

burying the ‘Act of Possession’ 

and claiming the west coast of 

New Holland for France. 

The French set foot on 

Australian soil. Members of 

the Dufresne expedition land 

at Marion Bay, Tasmania, 

and the first contact with 

Tasmanian Aborigines is 

recorded. 

1801 

Louis de Freycinet finds 

Vlamingh’s pewter plate on 

Dirk Hartog Island. 

1802 

Nicolas Baudin charts the 

south and west coasts. 

1801–1803 

Baudin crosses paths with 

Matthew Flinders on 8 April 

1802 near the South Australian 

coast – now named Encounter 

Bay. 

1818 

Freycinet returns to take 

Vlamingh’s plate to Paris. 

Between 1792 and 1815, France was at 

war! The French Revolution and the 

Napoleonic Wars raged on, mostly due to 

France’s leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, and his 

hunger for power. 

What is a revolution? Use a dictionary 

to find the meaning of the word. 

Napoleon Bonaparte 

Although there were great troubles in France between 1792 

and 1815, the French government wished for its country to be 

the leader of all nations in scientific discoveries. It paid for many 

scientifi c voyages across the globe. 

Britain and France were often at war and were competing for new 

land and trade opportunities. 

Look in an encyclopedia to find the French and British flags. 

Draw and colour them in your book. 

The French were famous for building large, reliable ships for long 

journeys. 

Use an Internet search engine such as ‘google’ to find images 

of French ships from the 1700s. 



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French ships sailing west towards the unknown horizon 

Europeans were very interested in the mysterious land in the 

south. At this time, maps had many blank spaces and errors. 

For many years, the French and the British travelled across the globe, 

racing each other to discover new land and claim it as their own. 

Plan and write a narrative story called ‘The great race’! 

You are the captain of a French ship racing against a British ship to 

discover and claim the land, Australia. 


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THE FRENCH 


Between 1792 and 1815, the French travelled to the land known as New Holland that would later be 

renamed ‘Australia’ by the British. 

The French wished to make scientifi c discoveries and to find a great port where French fleets could stop 

over to make repairs and restock supplies for their journeys. 

The French hoped to fi nd a land that could produce meat, cheese, wine and timber but many factors 

stopped the French from ever settling in Australia. 

Name one reason why the French did not settle in Australia. King Louis XVI sent the captain, La 

Perouse, on a scientific voyage to create charts and maps of new land in the south. 

La Perouse and his ships arrived 

in Botany Bay, Australia, eight 

days after the First Fleet, which 

arrived on 26 January 1788. 

La Perouse left New Holland in 

February of that year and the ship 

and its crew vanished forever! 

January 26 is the date 

we celebrate Australia 

Day to commemorate 

the founding of the new 

colony. 

How do you and your 

family celebrate Australia 

Day? Share your answer 

with a friend. 

Marion Dufresne confronting 

Maori warrior 

In the early 1800s, the French explorer, Captain Nicolas Baudin, 

on a return journey from Australia to France, told his offi cers 

to leave their cabins so the live specimens he had collected could 

be stored there. Wombats, emus, a swan, one dingo, a tortoise 

and some parrots travelled to France first class! 

Sketch a humorous cartoon of the Australian animals 

travelling first class on board a French ship. 

What if France had colonised Australia 

instead of the British? 

1. On a sheet of paper, write as many facts about France and its 

culture as you and a partner can think of. 

2. Write three ways that Australian culture would be different today 

if the French had settled here and not the British. Think about 

language, food, music, sport and others. 

3. Draw what you think the Australian flag might look like. 



Display Copy 

4. Choose two Australian icons (such as the Sydney Harbour 

Bridge or ‘the meat pie’) and rename them, giving them a 

‘French twist’. 

The passengers of a French expedition to Australia in 1772 were 

the first to set foot on Tasmanian soil. They were searching for 

water and timber. The ship then headed to New Zealand where 28 

crew, including the captain, Marion Dufresne, accompanied Maori 

chiefs on a fishing expedition—never to return! 

What do you think happened to Dufresne and his crew? In a 

small group, act out a brief role-play showing your ideas of the 

crew’s fate. 

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The Great South Land 

1. Use the following words to complete the passage. 

French Barrier fishing supplies climate ship Holland 

sail discoveries storm spaces voyage visit 

The Mascarin and the Marquis 

de Castries preparing to 

anchor in a calm cove to carry 

out much needed repairs after 

colliding in open ocean during 

a storm 

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, French explorers set 

South Land and to make scientific 

to try to fill in the blank 

left France for the Southern Hemisphere. During the 

part of Australia, but was stopped by the Great 

1 

to discover and map the Great 

2 

. By the middle of the 18th century, the French began 

3 

on their maps of the Pacific Ocean. In 1766, Louis de Bougainville 

4 

, he ventured close to the north-eastern 

5 

Reef. Six years later, Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen 



Display Copy 

spotted land from his ship that he believed to have a warm 6 

. 

His second in command, François de St Alouarn, was separated from Kerguelen during a storm and anchored his 

7 

in a bay on the west coast of Australia (known as New 

8 

at the time). 

St Alouarn sailed north up the west coast and landed in Shark Bay, where on 30 March 1772, at Turtle Bay, he raised the 

9 

flag claiming the western coast for France. Also in 1772, Marion Dufresne took his two ships 

the Mascarin and the Marquis de Castries to Tasmania for fresh 

10 

of timber, as the two ships 

had collided during a violent 

record a 

11 

and needed repairs. Dufresne became the first Frenchman to 

12 

to the south-east of Tasmania. Sadly, Dufresne and his crew disappeared shortly 

afterwards in New Zealand, after accompanying Maori chiefs on a 

13 

expedition and never 

returning. 


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THE FRENCH 

Missing at sea – La Perouse 

The French king, King Louis XVI, sent Jean-François de Galaup, 

Comte de La Pérouse on a scientific voyage to prepare maps of the 

Great South Land. La Perouse set sail in August 1785 with his two ships, 

the Astrolabe and the Boussole. After much travelling and exploration 

of the Pacific region, the expedition arrived in Botany Bay, Australia, 

eight days after the First Fleet, which arrived on 26 January 1788 (now 

celebrated each year as Australia Day). 

The crew went to the fi rst British settlement in Australia, Port Jackson, 

where La Perouse was able to gather fresh water and supplies for 

the voyage. Six weeks later, they left Botany Bay and sailed north-east 

towards Tonga. 

Although La Perouse and his crew planned to return to France by December of 1788, the two ships 

and their crews were never seen again. 

1. Answer these questions about the text. 

(a) Name of French Captain 

(b) Name of his two ships 

(c) Date left France (d) Date arrived in Botany Bay (e) Time spent in Botany Bay 

What do you think happened to La Perouse and his ships and crews? 

2. Write the final journal entry of La Perouse. Include some of the information you have recorded in Question 1 

and finish with the reason for the disappearance of the ships. 



Display Copy 

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THE FRENCH 

Mapping d’Entrecasteaux’s journey 

In August 1785, the French king, King Louis XVI, sent the captain, La Perouse, on a scientific voyage to 

create maps of the Great South Land. La Perouse and his crew arrived in Botany Bay, Australia, and left six 

weeks later. La Perouse, his crew and the two ships, the Astrolabe and the Boussole, were never to be seen 

again! What could King Louis XVI do? He had lost two ships! 

On 28 September 1791, the king gave instructions to Bruni d’Entrecasteaux to take 

two more ships, the Recherche and the Esperance, to the south of the globe to: 

• conduct scientific surveys of New Holland’s southern coasts, 

• conduct research among the Tasmanian Aborigines, and 

• find La Perouse and the ships the Astrolabe and the Boussole. 

1. Use an atlas to help you follow d’Entrecasteaux’s journey on the map. Write 

the names of each place in the boxes. 

Bruni d’Entrecasteaux 

• New Zealand • Papa New Guinea • Timor • Ambon • Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) 

• Fiji Islands • Cape Leeuwin • Botany Bay • Esperance • Point D’Entrecasteaux 



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THE FRENCH 

Josephine’s Garden 

In the early 1800s, when Napoleon Bonaparte was in power in 

France, Napoleon’s Empress, Josephine, lived in a palace called 

Chateau Malmaison. There, she cared for a garden which some 

called Josephine’s Garden. 

The garden displayed many live Australian plants, birds and animals 

that had been collected or captured by French explorers and 

transported by ship to France for display in the garden. 

It is said that Captain Nicolas Baudin, on a journey back from 

Australia, told his offi cers to leave their cabins so the live specimens 

he had collected could be stored there. Wombats, emus, a swan, one 

dingo, a tortoise and some parrots travelled to France first class! 

1. Choose one of the animals mentioned above and name it (e.g. Ernie the Emu). 

2. You are going to draw a cartoon strip showing the adventures of your animal. It will: 

• be captured by Nicolas Baudin 

• travel on a French ship across the globe 

• join the other animals in Josephine’s Garden in Paris • What happens next? 

(Your cartoon will have artwork, speech bubbles and think bubbles with text.) 

The adventures of 

Marie Joséphine Rose Tascher de la Pagerie 

later became Empress Josephine 



Display Copy 

3. Ask a friend to read your cartoon. Use a dictionary to check your spelling. Now copy it onto art paper and colour 

it for display. 

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The Baudin expedition – 1 

October 1800 

Dear Nicolas 

Take the vessel Géographe and set sail for New 

Holland. Explore its coastline and look for good 

harbours. Examine its land and sea resources and 

collect many scientific specimens. 

Also, study the lifestyles and customs of the 

Aboriginal people. 

Emmanuel Hamelin will be your secondin-command. 

He will captain the vessel 

Naturaliste. 

Good luck and good speed. 

The Emperor 

Napoleon Bonaparte 

1. List the five things was Nicolas instructed to do in New Holland. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Scientist Field of science definition Records and specimens collected 

botanist 

Nicolas Baudin 

Nicolas Baudin was given 

instructions by Napoleon 

Bonaparte to lead a very important 

expedition to explore the coast of 

Australia, known at the time as New 

Holland. 



Display Copy 

Nicolas Baudin hired many scientists to go on the journey to Australia. The scientists were in charge of 

keeping records, making sketches and collecting the specimens of flora (plants) and fauna (animals). 

2. Use a dictionary to find the definition of each type of scientist. Draw a picture of the type of specimen he may 

have collected. Label each specimen. 

mineralogist 

zoologist 


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THE FRENCH 

The Baudin Expedition – 2 

1. Read the text about the Baudin expedition. Highlight or underline the numbers and dates in the text. 

One of the most important French expeditions 

to Australia was led by Nicolas Baudin 

between 1800 and 1803. Baudin was a navy 

captain, appointed by Napoleon Bonaparte to 

explore the south-west and southern coast of 

Australia (New Holland). 

Preparations for the journey were made quickly 

so that France could win the race to chart the 

unknown parts of the southern coast of Australia 

before the British. 

Twenty-three scientists were appointed to the 

expedition that consisted of two naval ships, 

the Géographe, captained by Baudin, and the 

Naturaliste, captained by Jacques Hamelin. 

Seven months after their October 1800 departure 

from France, land was sighted at Cape Leeuwin on 

the west coast of Australia. The crew went ashore 

and began collecting and recording specimens. 

The Baudin expedition collected samples of 2542 

new animal species. This more than doubled the 

number of known animal species in the world! 

Baudin and Hamelin charted nearly two-thirds of 

2. Number quiz! Find the numbers and dates from the text above. 

Years the Baudin 

expedition occurred 

Number of scientists 

on board 

the Australian coastline, with 600 kilometres of 

this coast being charted for the first time. When 

Baudin encountered Matthew Flinders in the 

British ship, the Investigator, he had already 

mapped 50 leagues (roughly 250 km) of the 

southern coast. Flinders had hoped to claim 

mapping the entire southern coast himself! 

The area where the two ships met was named 

Encounter Bay to commemorate this meeting. 

During the expedition, Nicolas Baudin named 

hundreds of locations in 

Australia, with over 300 of 

those names still in use 

today. Sadly, Baudin did 

not return to France 

as he passed away 

during the return 

journey on 16 September 

1803. He had contracted 

tuberculosis some time 

earlier. The expedition 

reached France in 

1804. 

Time taken to travel to 

Australia 

Nicolas Baudin studying 

uncharted coastline 



Display Copy 

Number of new 

specimens collected 

Length of coastline 

Baudin and Hamelin 

charted for the first 

time 

Amount of coast 

mapped by Baudin 

when he met Matthew 

Flinders 

Number of places 

named by Baudin in 

use today 

Date Baudin 

passed away from 

tuberculosis 

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The encounter – Flinders and Baudin 

In his vessel, the 

Géographe, Frenchman 

Nicolas Baudin was 

travelling west, mapping 

the southern coast of 

Australia and making 

scientifi c observations. 

Travelling east, also along 

the southern coast, was 

Matthew Flinders with his 

British expedition in the 

ship Investigator. Flinders 

wished to claim that he 

had mapped the entire 

southern coast himself. 

On 8 April 1802, the two 

ships unexpectedly met 

near Kangaroo Island 

off the southern coast 

(of what is now South 

Australia). Although 

France and Britain had 

previously been at war, the 

two captains met with their 

interpreters to discuss 

their voyages. Flinders 

discovered that Baudin 

had already mapped 50 

leagues of the southern 

coast. 

The area where the 

two captains met was 

named Encounter Bay 

to commemorate their 

meeting. 



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1. The encounter role-play 

(a) Allocate the role of the British captain, Matthew Flinders, and the French 

captain, Nicolas Baudin, to yourself and a partner. 

Baudin: 

Flinders: 

(b) Imagine that one of you has stepped onto the other’s ship to discuss your 

expeditions. How do you think the captains are feeling? (Remember 

each man wants to be the first to map the southern coast!) Make a list. 

Feelings 



Display Copy 

(c) What type of information do you think the two captains exchanged 

about their journeys? Make a list. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

2. (a) With your partner, role-play the scene between the two captains. Speak 

without an accent to begin with. After a number of rehearsals, try giving 

Baudin a French accent and Flinders an English one. 

3. When you feel ready, perform your ‘encounter’ role-play to another group or 

the class. 

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THE FRENCH 

The encounter – Flinders and Baudin 

1. Use the information on page 56 to write a newspaper article about the encounter between Matthew Flinders, 

in the Investigator, and Nicolas Baudin, in the Géographe. The article is to be printed in the Port Jackson 

Weekly, the newspaper for the first British settlement in Botany Bay, Australia. 

30 April 1802 

(Headline) 

2. Design a stamp 

Design a stamp that could be sold 

to commemorate the encounter 

between Matthew Flinders and 

Nicolas Baudin in Encounter Bay on 

8 April 1802. 

The Port Jackson Weekly 

(a) Use neat colouring to make it 

look effective. You may like to 

look on the Internet for pictures 

of the ships, the Investigator and 

the Géographe. 

(b) Copy your stamp onto art paper 

for display. 

(Caption for photograph in box) 

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THE FRENCH 

The Freycinet expedition – 1 

1. Read the information about the Freycinet expedition. 

A 

young offi cer, Louis-Claude de Saulces de Freycinet, commanded 

the ship Casuarina during the Baudin expedition (1802–1803). 

He was given the task of mapping the gulfs of South Australia. In 1811, 

Louis de Freycinet created the very fi rst published map to show the 

entire Australian coastline. 

After Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, 

the French monarchy returned to the throne. In 1817, King Louis 

XVIII ordered Freycinet to lead an expedition in the ship Uranie. It 

was to be a scientifi c voyage, studying the natural history, botany and 

geography of the earth. 

Uranie reached the west coast of Australia one year later and, in 

Shark Bay, encountered Aboriginal people, whom the scientists and 

crew studied for two weeks. Freycinet believed the western coast to be a desolate place with few 

trees and without the resources needed for the crew to rest there, so they continued on to the British 

settlement of Port Jackson, near Botany Bay. 

After refreshing the ship’s supplies, the expedition headed for the Falkland Islands but disaster 

struck! The ship collided with a rock and was lost to the sea. The crew lived off the land, hunting 

and fi shing, until they were rescued. A new ship was bought and Freycinet and his crew returned 

to France. 

1. Use a dictionary to help you write definitions for 

these words. 

(a) monarchy: 

(b) botany 

2. What was published in 1812? 



Display Copy 

3. What event led to the monarchy returning to the 

throne in France? 

(c) desolate 

4. What was Freycinet’s opinion of the west coast of 

Australia? 


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THE FRENCH 

The Freycinet expedition – 2 

Read about three unexpected events that occurred during the Freycinet expedition. 

Choose the one that interests you the most and complete the activity. 

1. The stowaway! 

Two days into the voyage of the Uranie, Freycinet’s wife, Rose, 

appeared on the ship. She had slipped aboard in a sailor’s 

uniform. In 1817, women were not permitted to travel on such 

expeditions. Although the naval authorities had the power to drop 

her off at the next port, they allowed her to continue on the voyage. 

You and a partner are going to role-play an interview between a journalist and Rose de Freycinet that 

occurred once she had returned to France. 

Allocate roles. Journalist: Rose de Freycinet: 

On a separate sheet of paper, write five interview questions and answer them as Rose de Freycinet. 

Rehearse your role-play and present it to another group or the class. 

2. Convicts on board! 

The Freycinet expedition left Australia after 

collecting supplies at Port Jackson. The 

following day, ten convicts slipped out from 

their hiding places on the ship. Freycinet 

did not wish to turn the Uranie around and 

travel back to the settlement of Port Jackson, 

so he allowed the convicts to stay on board 

the ship as crew. 

(a) Create a cartoon strip that shows the 

adventures of one of the convicts. 

Your cartoon must show: 

• how the convict escaped from prison, 

• how he boarded the Uranie, 

• where he stowed away on the ship, 

• what happened after he revealed 

himself to the captain and crew. 

(b) Use a ruler to divide a sheet of paper into 

eight sections and begin drawing your 

cartoon. Remember to include speech and 

thought bubbles! 

3. Shipwrecked! 

Rose de Freycinet 

After leaving Port Jackson, the Uranie 

sailed east for the Falkland Islands. 

At French Bay the unexpected happened! 

The ship collided with a submerged rock 

and water poured in from the many holes 

created. The crew tried pumping the water 

out and using spare sails to cover the holes, 

but the ship was beyond repair. 

Design and make a diorama of the Uranie, 

after it had collided with the rock near the 

Falkland Islands. 

Materials: 

shoe box, 



Display Copy 

Design: 

On a separate sheet of paper, draw your design. 

Label it by listing the materials you will 

use for each part. Show your design to your 

teacher. Collect your materials and begin your 

diorama. 

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A mystery solved! – La Perouse 

Lost at sea 

Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La 

Pérouse, was sent by King Louis XVI on a 

scientifi c voyage to prepare charts of the Great 

South Land. In August, La Perouse set sail with 

his ships the Astrolabe and the Boussole, 

arriving in Botany Bay around the same time 

as the First Fleet, which arrived on 26 January 

1788. 

The ships went to the fi rst British settlement, 

Port Jackson, where La Perouse was able to 

take on board fresh water and supplies for the 

voyage. 

The expedition left to travel along the southern 

and western coasts of Australia, planning to 

return to France by December 1788. The two 

ships and their crews were never seen again. 

Thirty-eight years after the Astrolabe and the 

Boussole disappeared, an expedition was 

organised to look for the missing ships. 

Jules d’Urville left France for Australia in 

1826, stopping at Hobart, Tasmania. Here he 

heard about a shipwreck site. 

D’Urville was told that a British merchant, 

Captain Peter Dillon, had travelled to 

Vanikoro, a Santa Cruz island, and discovered 

relics. These relics included swivel guns, 

cooking utensils and a bronze bell. 

Arriving at the island in early 1828, d’Urville 

agreed the relics belonged to the ships from 

La Perouse’s expedition and heard tales of 

how both ships were lost. 

One ship had run into rocks and the crew 

attacked by the islanders. The ship broke up 

and its crew were lost to the sea. 

It is believed that the other ship ran aground. 

The crew were able to give gifts to the islanders, 

who allowed them to build a smaller vessel 

and leave in it. None of the crew was heard 

of again. 

1. True or False? 

(a) The last place La Perouse was known to have 

visited was Hobart, Tasmania. 

True 

False 

(b) Vanikoro is one of the Santa Cruz islands. 

True 

False 

(c) D’Urville travelled to Santa Cruz as he had 

heard relics had been discovered there. 

True 

False 

(d) The islanders happily welcomed the crew of the 

two French ships to their island. 

True 

False 

(e) Peter Dillon was a British merchant. 

True 

False 

2. Internet challenge! 

Astrolabe in full sail 



Display Copy 

Use a search engine such as ‘google’ to find 

an image of the Perouse monument in Botany 

Bay, Sydney. Try these search words: 

monument Perouse Botany Bay 

On a sheet of art paper, draw and colour the 

monument. 


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THE FRENCH 

Le Géographe 



Display Copy 

country of origin: France 

built: before 1800 

type: corvette 

length: 37.8 m 

weight: 355 tonnes 

hull: wood 

armament: 30 guns 

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Map summary of French exploration of Australia 

Cape Peron 

Named after François Péron, 

naturalist on the Géographe, who 

later also helped write the history 

of the voyage. 

Cape Bouvard 

Cape Bouvard was named in 

honour of the French astronomer, 

Alexis Bouvard, who discovered 

comets shortly before the 

departure of the Baudin expedition 

in October 1800. 

Leschenault Inlet 

Named after Jean Leschenault de la 

Tour, botanist on the Géographe. 

Cape Rose 

Cape Rose, in Shark Bay, was 

named after Freycinet’s wife, 

Rose, who secretly boarded the 

ship and circumnavigated the 

world with her husband. 

Saint Allouarn Island 

Three miles off the coast of Cape 

Leeuwin, the island is named 

after Louis Saint Alouarn, a 

French explorer, who made the 

first scientific survey of Western 

Australia in 1772. 

Cape Naturaliste 

Named after the second ship on the 

Baudin expedition. The Naturaliste 

was captained by Jacques Hamelin. 

Cape or Point Freycinet 

Named after Louis de Freycinet, 

who was captain of the Casuarina 

during the Baudin expedition’s return 

journey. He later commanded his own 

expedition in the Uranie (1890– 

1820), ending in a shipwreck in the 

Falkland Islands. 

La Perouse 

La Perouse is a suburb of Sydney 

named in memory of La Perouse, 

the lost French explorer. A 

monument stands on the northern 

shore of Botany Bay—the last 

place the La Perouse expedition 

was seen. 



Display Copy 

Geographe Bay 

The Géographe was the lead 

ship commanded by Nicolas 

Baudin (1801–1803) on his 

expedition that charted sections 

of the southern coast of Australia 

and made thousands of scientific 

discoveries. 

Point Casuarina 

Named after the schooner 

commanded by Louis de Freycinet. 

This Australian-built ship 

accompanied the Géographe on 

the 1803 survey. 


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THE FRENCH 

Map summary of French exploration routes of Australia 



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THE FRENCH 

Quiz – The French 

1. Complete the titles of the two wars France was involved in 

during the time French navigators were mapping Australia. 

The F Revolution and 

9. The name of the ship captained by Nicolas Baudin was: 

(a) Géographe 

(b) Astrolabe 

the Napoleonic W 

2. Napoleon’s Empress created a garden in a 

palace in Paris which was known as: 

J 

G 

3. St Alouarn claimed the West Coast of New Holland for France 

by burying the ‘Act of Possession’ and by raising which 

country’s flag? 

4. Louis de Freycinet was the first person to create a map that 

showed the entire Australian coastline. 

True 

False 

5. The crew of the Dufresne expedition went missing in New 

Zealand after accompanying Maoris chiefs on which type of 

expedition? 

fishing 

snorkelling 

Empress Josephine 

6. Which famous Australian reef did Louis de Bougainville’s ship 

collide with, preventing him from ever reaching Australia? 

7. It is believed that the La Perouse expedition arrived at Botany 

Bay about the same time as the first fleet. This day is celebrated 

each year on 26 January and is known as: 

(c) Boussole 

(d) Naturaliste 

10. The name of the ship on the Baudin expedition that was 

captained by Jacques Hamelin was: 

(a) Géographe 

(b) Astrolabe 

(c) Boussole 

(d) Naturaliste 

11. What is the name of the bay where the two captains, Baudin 

of the Géographe, and Matthew Flinders of the Investigator, 

met in 1802? 

12. In the early 1800s, Australia was known as New Holland. 

Fact Opinion 

13. Nicolas Baudin never returned to 

France after his long voyage to 

Australia as he passed away from 

scurvy. 

True False 


14. Name de Freycinet’s wife who, secretly stowed away on board 

the ship, the Uranie, to join her husband on the expedition. 



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15. At which islands did de Freycinet lose his ship, the Uranie, 

after colliding with a submerged rock? 

A Day 

8. Bruni d’Entrecasteaux was sent by King Louis XVI to find 

which captain and his ships? 

(a) Baudin 

(b) Freycinet 

(c) La Perouse 

F Islands 

16. Complete the sentence. 

Swivel guns, cooking utensils and a bronze b 

were discovered on a Santa Cruz island, leading to the 

discovery of the fate of the La Perouse expedition. 

17. The last place La Perouse was known to have visited before 

his disappearance was Port Jackson. 

True 

False 

Bruni d’Entrecasteaux 


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THE FRENCH 

Quiz – The French 

18. The crews of two French ships, the Astrolabe and the 

Boussole, wrecked near a Santa Cruz island, were 

welcomed warmly by the islanders. 

True 

False 

19. Before it was called Australia, this continent was known as: 

(a) New Holland 

(b) the Great South Land 

(c) Terra Australis Incognita 

(d) All of the above 

20. One reason why the French never colonised areas of 

Australia was the presence of the officers and crew from 

which other country? 

22. Which of the scientists listed would collect and study plants? 

(a) mineralogist 

(b) botanist 

The Astrolabe 

(c) zoologist 

23. A swan, one dingo, a tortoise, some parrots and which two other 

types of animals travelled to France for Josephine’s Garden? 

w and e 

24. About how many new animal specimens were collected by the 

scientists on the Baudin expedition? 

(a) 20–30 

(b) 200–300 

(c) 2000–3000 



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21. By which years do you think the French stop trying to 

explore Australia? 

(a) 1640s 

(b) 1740s 

(c) 1840s 

Tree kangaroo 

25. Esperance is found in which state of Australia? 

(d) 1940s 

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The French – Answers 

The Great South Land .............................. p. 50 

1. sail 6. climate 10. supplies 

2. discoveries 7. ship 11. storm 

3. spaces 8. Holland 12. visit 

4. voyage 9. French 13. fishing 

5. Barrier 

Missing at sea! – La Perouse .................... p. 51 

2. (a) Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse 

(b) Astrolabe and Boussole 

(c) August 1785 

(d) (on or about) 26 January 1788 

(e) six weeks 


Mapping a journey – d‘Entrecasteaux ...... p. 52 

Josephine’s Garden .................................. p. 53 

Teacher check 

The Baudin expedition – 1 ....................... p. 54 

1. explore the coastline, look for wood, harbours, examine land 

and sea resources, collect scientific specimens, study the 

lifestyles and customs of the Aboriginal people 


The Baudin expedition – 2 ....................... p. 55 

2. 

Years the Baudin expedition occurred 

1801–1804 

Number of scientists on board 

23 

Time taken to travel to Australia 

seven months 

Number of new specimens collected 

2542 

Amount of coast Baudin and Hamelin charted 

600 km 

Amount of coast mapped by Baudin when he met Matthew Flinders 

50 leagues (about 250 km) 

Number of places named by Baudin in use today 

over 300 

Date Baudin passed away from tuberculosis 

16 September 1803 

The encounter – Flinders and Baudin – 1 ..p. 56 

Teacher check 

The encounter – Flinders and Baudin – 2 ..p. 57 

Teacher check 

The Freycinet expedition – 1 ................... p. 58 

1. (a) monarchy – a government where the supreme power is a 

king, queen or state 

(b) botany – the branch of biology that deals with plants and 

plant life 

(c) desolate – barren, wasteland 

2. Louis de Freycinet published the first map of the entire 

Australian coastline. 

3. The French monarchy was restored in France after Napoleon 

Bonaparte was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. 

4. Freycinet believed the west coast of Australia to be a desolate 

place with few trees or resources. 

A mystery solved! La Perouse .................... p. 59 

1. (a) False 

(b) True 

(c) True 

(d) False 

(e) True 


Quiz – The French ..................................... p. 64 

1. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars 

2. Josephine’s Garden 

3. France 

4. True 

5. fishing 

6. The Great Barrier Reef 

7. Australia Day 

8. La Perouse 

9. Géographe 

10. Naturaliste 

11. Encounter Bay 

12. Fact 

13. False, it was tuberculosis 

14. Rose 

15. Falkland 

16. bell 

17. True 

18. False 

19. (d) All of the above 

20. Britain 

21. 1840s 

22. (b) botanist 

23. wombats and emus 

24. (c) 2000–3000 

25. Western Australia 



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BRITISH 



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Captain James Cook and HMB Endeavour 

Name: 

Class: 

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The British 


Introduction 

Although maritime trade and exploration had been taking place for 

many years, it was in the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) that 

Britain emerged as a superior maritime force, with the defeat of the 

Spanish Armada in 1588 confirming this position. 

Merchants developed trading links with Spanish and Portuguese 

colonies in the Americas and it soon became clear that even greater 

profits could be made by extending those links to Asia. This led to the 

establishment of the English East India Company. 

The company chartered its own ships and the directors appointed a 

commander from its ranks of shareholding merchants for each voyage. 

The position of commander was highly regarded and eagerly sought as 

the merchant could ship his own cargo and supplement his profits by 

carrying company officials and private passengers. 

Factories were built in the Moluccas, Java and Sumatra and, for a 

while, the company prospered. With increased competition from the 

Netherlands, a rival trading and maritime nation also established in the 

East Indies, it was in Britain’s best interests to move elsewhere. 

Britain established itself in other areas of the globe, notably India, the 

east coast of North America and the Caribbean. 

In the Pacific, Britain’s activities were curtailed by the power of the 

Spanish influence, but as this diminished, the Britain’s interest grew. 

But again Britain was to have a rival—France. The two countries were 

constantly at war and simultaneously exploring the same areas. 

In determining the size and position of Australia, the British, French and 

Dutch all played significant roles in charting the coastline and providing 

accurate, detailed maps for future generations. But it was the British 

who answered most of the questions surrounding the new continent, 

including the insularity of Tasmania and there being no inland sea 

between the Great Australian Bight and the Gulf of Carpentaria. 

As France was a contemporary rival, it was important for Britain to 

establish early outposts in Australia to indicate an intention to colonise 

the new land. On 26 January 1788, in the First Fleet, convicts and 

marines were brought to Australia under the command of Governor 

Arthur Phillip, to establish the first European settlement. 

Major British explorers involved in mapping Australia 

Date Name Ship 

1688, 1699 William Dampier Cygnet, Roebuck 

1770–71 James Cook Endeavour 

1773 Tobias Furneaux Adventure 

1791 George Vancouver Discovery 

1797 George Bass open whaleboat 

1798 George Bass/Matthew Flinders Norfolk 

1800 James Grant Lady Nelson 

1801 John Murray Lady Nelson 

1801–03 Matthew Flinders Investigator 

1821 Phillip Parker King Mermaid 


• Discuss in groups and then write about a possible encounter between 

Aboriginal Australians and Europeans. What might the hopes and 

fears of both sides have been? 

• Make a collection of pencil drawings of early navigational instruments. 

Back the sketches on dark paper and mount on a contrasting colour 

to present as a museum display. 

• Research some old naval expressions and explain what they mean in 

our lives today. 

• Make a detailed study of life on a sailing ship. Include the features of 

the ship, the living conditions and the physical and health hazards. 

Present as a book. 

• Make a decorative time line of British involvement in the discovery of 

Australia. Use pictures of explorers and their ships. 

• Sketch a collection of native plants and animals that would have 

been observed by the explorers when they landed. Explain their life 

cycles and how they adapt to their environments. For the animals, 

include their feeding and social habits. 



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Fascinating facts – 1 

THE BRITISH 

William Dampier was the first Briton to walk 

on Australian sand. His impressions were 

not favourable, but his descriptions of the people, 

landscape, plants and animals stirred the imaginations 

of many. European explorers were more determined 

than ever to discover what they believed was the 

lost southern continent. The writer Daniel Defoe is 

believed to have been inspired by Dampier’s account 

of Alexander Selkirk, marooned on an island off the 

coast of South America. His famous book, Robinson 

Crusoe, was later to inspire another explorer, 

Matthew Flinders. 

Research on the Internet to find more 

information on the interesting character, 

William Dampier. 

Read Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. 

As HMB Endeavour sailed along the east coast of 

Australia, James Cook named many places along the 

way. 

For example: 

Point Hicks – Lieutenant Zachary Hicks was the first 

person on board to sight the coast. 

Botany Bay – A wide range of plant species was 

found in the area around the bay. 

Cape Tribulation – The starting point of the 

expedition’s problems. 

Possession Island – The British flag was raised and 

the land claimed in the name of King George III. 

Find these places on a map of Australia’s 

east coast. Research on the Internet to find 

the reasons behind the names of other major 

places along the east coast. 

The first Endeavour in space, the command module 

of Apollo 15, was named after Cook’s ship. It carried 

a piece of wood from the original ship. In 1992, 

the space shuttle Endeavour carried a treenail (a 

wooden fastening) from the Endeavour replica. After 

141 Earth orbits, the treenail was brought back and 

driven into the sternpost on the Endeavour replica. 

After the death of Captain James Cook, in honour of 

his contribution to global navigation and exploration, 

the King awarded him a coat of arms. It is the only 

one to include a globe, centred on the Pacific Ocean, 

and Polar stars. 


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Captain James Cook’s coat of arms 

The motto reads: 

circa orbem, nil intentatum relinquit 

which means; 

Around the globe, he left 

nothing not attempted. 

Research on the Internet to find the 

inscription on the plaque situated on the back 

wall of the schoolhouse which James Cook 

attended. Sketch a copy of the plaque with its 

inscription and display it. 

After failing to find a passage through the Bering 

Strait, between Alaska and Russia, Cook returned 

to Hawaii. After the theft of one of his ship’s boats, 

there was a violent skirmish in which James Cook 

was killed. The incident took place at Kealakekua Bay 

on 14 February 1779. He was given a burial at sea. At 

home in England, James Cook’s father died six weeks 

later without ever hearing the tragic news of his son’s 

death. 

Visit to discover more about the life 

and death of this great explorer. 

Early navigation techniques were very inaccurate 

compared to today. 

Research to find information on the 

astrolabe, hand measurement, sextant and 

the cross-staff. 



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Note: The Endeavour replica is now based at the National 

Maritime Museum, Darling harbour, Sydney. 

 


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THE BRITISH 

Fascinating facts – 2 

On his voyage to Western Port Bay in an open 

whaleboat, George Bass discovered a group of 

seven escaped convicts. He promised to rescue them 

on his return journey. This he did. 

Research on the Internet to discover what 

happened to them on their return to Sydney. 

Bass and Flinders’s fi rst voyage of exploration was 

in a small boat which they named Tom Thumb. In 

this, they explored the coastline of Botany Bay and 

charted several kilometres up George’s River. 

Tom Thumb, the small boat 

used to chart the coastline 

of Botany Bay 

Visit for more information 

on Matthew Flinders. 

In 1998, a 50c coin was minted to honour the 

discovery, by George Bass and Matthew Flinders, that 

Tasmania was an island. 

Research on the Internet to find an image of 

this coin and sketch a large scale drawing on 

art paper. 

Do you know why a ship’s speed is always given in 

knots? Before accurate means to calculate speed, a 

line was tied to a piece of wood. This line had knots 

tied to it at regular intervals. The line was thrown 

overboard and the sailor would calculate the speed 

of the ship by counting the number of knots passing 

through his hands in a given amount of time. 

Time line 

1688 and William Dampier in Cygnet and later in 

1699 Roebuck makes fi rst English contact with 

Australia, landing at Shark Bay in 1699. 

1769–70 James Cook in Endeavour 

circumnavigates New Zealand and charts 

the east coast of Australia. 

1773 Tobias Furneaux in Adventure charts the 

south and east coasts of Tasmania. 

1791 George Vancouver in Discovery discovers 

and charts King George Sound in southwest 

Australia. 

1795 George Bass and Matthew Flinders in 

Tom Thumb I explore Botany Bay and 

Georges River. 

1796 George Bass and Matthew Flinders in 

Tom Thumb II sail to Port Kembla and 

Lake Illawarra. 

1797 George Bass in an open whaleboat charts 

south-east coast from Point Hicks to 

Western Port Bay. 

1798 George Bass and Matthew Flinders 

in Norfolk circumnavigate Tasmania, 

proving at last that it is not attached to 

the mainland. 

1800 James Grant in Lady Nelson makes fi rst 

west-east passage through Bass Strait. 



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Research, using the library and Internet, to 

find out why it is incorrect to use the term 

‘knots per hour’. 

1801 John Murray in Lady Nelson discovers 

and charts Port Phillip Bay. 

1801–03 Matthew Flinders in Investigator 

circumnavigates and completes coastal 

survey of Australia. 

1802 Matthew Flinders in Investigator 

encounters Nicolas Baudin in 

Géographe. This meeting occurs during 

a short period when Britain and France 

are not at war. 

1817–22 Phillip Parker King in Mermaid and 

Bathurst explores and charts coastline 

from Exmouth on Western Australian 

coast to North West Cape and Arnhem 

Land. 

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William Dampier – 1 

Name: William Dampier 

Born: Somerset, England, 1652 

Work history 

1668 – fi rst went to sea. 

1674 – fought in the Battle of Schooneveld in the 

Third Anglo-Dutch War. 

1675 – plantation manager in Jamaica. 

1676–82 – sailed with buccaneers on Spanish 

Main of Central America. Circumnavigated the 

world. 

1683–85 – worked as privateer, raiding Spanish 

strongholds in Peru, Galapagos Islands, Mexico. 

1686–87 – sailed to East Indies with pirates in 

Cygnet, visiting Guam and Mindanao. Carried on 

to the Philippines, China and Australia. 

1688 – Cygnet beached on north-west Australian 

coast near King Sound. Made notes on fl ora and 

fauna observed. Voluntarily marooned with two 

shipmates on Nicobar Islands. Built seaworthy 

craft and sailed to Sumatra. 

1691 – returned to Britain via Cape of Good 

Hope. 

1697 – published A new voyage round the 

world, which aroused great interest in the general 

public and the British Admiralty. 

January 1699 – given command of HMS 

Roebuck with instructions to explore Australia 

and New Guinea. 

March 1699 – left George Fisher in Brazilian jail 

for insubordination. 

July 1699 – reached Dirk Hartog Island, Shark 

Bay, Western Australia. Made a plant collection 

which is still preserved in Oxford University, the 

first collection ever made of Australian plants. 

Sailed north, charting coastline as far as Roebuck 

Bay, stopping regularly to search for fresh water. 

William Dampier 

Finding none, sailed to Timor. Sailed east from 

Timor heading for New Guinea. 

January 1700 – sighted New Guinea and charted 

northern coastline. Explored south-eastern 

coastlines of New Hanover, New Ireland and New 

Britain, discovering the Dampier Strait between 

these islands and the mainland. 

February 1701 – Roebuck foundered near 

Ascension Island. Although many papers were 

lost, vital new charts of coastlines, trade winds 

and currents in the seas around Australia and New 

Guinea were saved. 

August 1701 – returned to Britain. Courtmartialled 

for treatment of George Fisher. 

Dismissed from the Royal Navy. 

1703 – employed as privateer against French and 

Spanish ships. 

October 1704 – anchored at uninhabited Juan 

Fernandez islands off the coast of Chile. Sailing 

master Alexander Selkirk marooned on the island 

after a disagreement with Dampier. 

1707 – returned to Britain and published 

A continuation of a voyage to New Holland. 

1708 – engaged as sailing master to another 

privateer ship. Returned to rescue Alexander 

Selkirk. 



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THE BRITISH 

William Dampier – 2 

Use the text on page 72 to answer the questions. 

1. (a) Using an atlas, write on the map all the placenames mentioned in the text from July 1699 to January 1700. 

(b) On the map, draw the route Dampier took from Dirk Hartog Island to Dampier Strait. 

2. Write some words or phrases to describe William Dampier. 

(b) Write a profile of William Dampier in three paragraphs, describing, 

his personality 

his interests 



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his experience 

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James Cook – 1 

James Cook was one of Britain’s finest 

explorers and navigators. During his 

three Pacific voyages, he charted 

numerous Pacific islands, including 

New Zealand. In Australian 

maritime history, he is most 

famous for charting the east 

coast from Point Hicks in the 

south to Possession Island in 

the north. 

Life on board ship 

As ship’s captain, James Cook was always very 

concerned about the health and welfare of his 

sailors. In the 18th century, scurvy was a major 

health problem on long voyages. It was discovered 

that a diet of fruit and vegetables reduced the 

incidence and severity of the disease. Salted meat, 

hard biscuits and sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) 

do not sound very appetising, but they formed a 

meal rich in protein, which helped keep the crew 

in good health. Cook insisted that everyone ate 

their full rations, whether they liked them or not. 

Anyone who disobeyed these strict orders received 

punishment. 

Other diseases such as dysentery and typhus could 

occur in unhygienic living conditions, so Cook 

insisted that everyone took personal hygiene very 

seriously. 

Discipline on board was important to make 

sure everything worked efficiently. People relied 

on one another for their safety, so anything that 

interfered with the smooth running of the ship was 

punishable. 

Experienced sailors had a great deal of knowledge 

and many skills which were very valuable on a 

ship’s long voyage. They taught apprentice crew 

members all the chores and responsibilities 

needed for handling the big ships. As there were 

Captain James Cook 

and HMB Endeavour 

many ropes and sails on board, it was important to 

know how to handle them correctly. Each sail had 

to be unfurled easily when needed. Ropes had to 

be stored so they would not tangle and knot. If this 

happened, the sail could not be hoisted quickly. 

A captain knew that looking after his crew was 

important to keep the men working well and avoid 

mutiny. 

Punishments were given for offences that risked 

the safety of others and the ship; for example, 

• falling asleep on watch 

• not taking care with equipment 

• fighting 

• stealing (a very serious crime on a ship) 

Punishments were always given in public to 

humiliate offenders and to discourage others from 

doing anything similar. 

By modern standards, punishments could be 

severe indeed! They included: 

• hanging! 

• flogging with the cat o’ nine tails! 

• running the gauntlet 

• reducing or stopping beer or rum rations 



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Note: At this time, Cook only held the rank of 

lieutenant. However, as captain of the ship, he 

was entitled to be called Captain Cook. 


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THE BRITISH 



Fresh fruit and vegetables 

helped guard against the 

effects of scurvy 

1. Why do you think it was important for a captain to look after the health of his crew? 

2. (a) Imagine you are a crew member on one of James Cook’s voyages. Write a list of the things you like and 

dislike about how he runs his ship. 

likes 

(b) Do you think James Cook was a good captain? 

(c) What do you think you would like and dislike the most about being a sailor in the 18th century? 

likes 

3. Research to find the meaning of: 

dislikes 

dislikes 



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cat o’ nine tails running the gauntlet no room to swing a cat knowing the ropes 

4. (a) Colour the picture of HMS Endeavour on page 90. 

(b) Research on the Internet to find the names of the masts and sails. 

(c) Label the masts and sails on the picture. 

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Navigators, astronomers, botanists and artists 

It is thanks to the early pioneering voyagers of discovery 

that we know so much about our world today. 

Read the text and choose the correct words from the box to fill the gaps. 

James Cook learned to 

1 

and sail a ship when he joined the navy. Before taking 

2 

of his own ships, he served his country in Canada while Britain was at 

3 

with France. 

4 

was of great 

5 

to James Cook. He was able to use the position of the moon and stars to work out the position of a ship. This involved 

complicated 

HMB Endeavour following 

the eastern coast of 

Australia 

Tahiti voyage Venus species war navigate drawings position calculations exact 

sketched sun Astronomy instructions banksia botany interest unknown Ocean command 

between the Earth and the 

These told him that on leaving 

6 

which had to be repeated daily. The purpose of James Cook’s first Pacific 

7 

was to sail to Tahiti to observe the planet 

8 

as it travelled 

9 

. Cook had been given another set of 

10 

in a sealed envelope, which were not to be opened until he had set sail from Britain. 



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11 

he was to sail south in search of the great 

12 

southern land, which many navigators and scientists believed existed. When he found 

it, he was to claim it for Britain. When this was done, Cook was to chart the 

13 

position of 

New Zealand in the Pacific 

on his voyage. He was to help Cook plot the 

14 

. The astronomer, Charles Green, accompanied James Cook 

15 

of Venus as it moved in front of the sun. 

Joseph Banks, a wealthy young man with a great passion for 

on board Endeavour. He wanted to collect and document any new 

when landings were made on the new continent. The 

16 

, paid for his own passage 

17 

of plants discovered 

18 

tree has been named after Sir 

Joseph Banks. Sydney Parkinson was the ship’s draughtsman, who kept a journal of 

19 

from the voyage and also 

20 

examples of Banks’s collections. 


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THE BRITISH 


Use the text on page 76 to help you answer the questions. 

1. What were the four things James Cook was instructed to do? 

Captain James Cook 

studying a map of 

Bass Strait 

2. Why do you think it is important for scientists to 

make new discoveries about the world? 

3. Why was it important to have a draughtsman on 

voyages of discovery? 

4. (a) Type native Australian plants into your Internet search engine and find examples of three plants. 

(b) Sketch, colour and label them here. 



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THE BRITISH 

George Vancouver – 1 

Like many explorers of the 18th century, George 

Vancouver served his apprenticeship on voyages 

commanded by experienced naval offi cers. Vancouver 

practised many of his navigational and charting skills 

when he travelled as midshipman with James Cook 

on Cook’s second voyage. Vancouver was only a 

teenager when he travelled with Cook, but in 1790 he 

commanded his own ship to the shores of Australia. 

Approaching the western side of the southern 

coastline, Vancouver, in the ship HMS Discovery, 

sighted a large bay where they could drop anchor. 

All day, Discovery had been battling high seas and a 

strong gale. The coastline had been menacing, with 

kilometres of high craggy cliffs, offering no shelter 

from the relentless storm. Imagine the relief when a 

wide open bay appeared. The ship struggled to enter 

the bay, but once inside, found it was safe to drop 

anchor. 

The next morning broke clear and calm. It was only 

then that Vancouver realised what a magnifi cent place 

had been discovered. Before him lay an enormous 

bay, a vast expanse of water protected from the full 

force of the Southern Ocean by two headlands, Bald 

Head and Cape Vancouver. They spent two weeks in 

the bay, making repairs to the ship and replenishing 

stocks. 

During this time, Vancouver and his crew made two 

important discoveries: an abundance of fresh water 

from a river running into the bay; and a source of 

oysters in one of the bays, which he named Oyster 

Harbour. 

While the ship was being repaired and loaded with 

supplies, Vancouver charted the area in the ship’s 

boat. He named many prominent features, including 

Princess Royal Harbour, Oyster Harbour, Cape 

Vancouver, Bald Head, and Michaelmas, Breaksea 

and Seal islands. The main waterway Vancouver 

named King George Sound, in honour of his king. 

Today, the city of Albany lies on the northern side of 

Princess Royal Harbour. 

George Vancouver 



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THE BRITISH 

George Vancouver – 2 

1. (a) Imagine you are a crew member on board HMS Discovery. Write words and phrases to describe how you feel 

as the ship arrives at King George Sound. 

during the storm entering the protected bay the next morning 

(b) On a separate sheet, write the story of your passage through the storm. 

2. Use a dictionary to find definitions for these words. 

abundance 

apprenticeship 

menacing 

prominent 

relentless 

replenishing 

voyage 



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3. How do you think the crew’s days during their stay in King George Sound would have differed from their days at 

sea? Write your ideas in the boxes. 

in King George Sound 

at sea 

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Tobias Furneaux – 1 

For world explorers in earlier centuries, it was a lifetime achievement to 

be the one to do something for the fi rst time. Captain Tobias Furneaux 

had four maritime ‘fi rsts’ to his credit: 

• crossing the Antarctic Circle with Captain James Cook in 

January 1773 

• charting the south and east coasts of Tasmania 

• discovering the Furneaux Islands to the north-east of Tasmania 

(on his third Pacific voyage, James Cook named the islands 

after Furneaux) 

• circumnavigating the world from west to east 

All the above feats occurred on the same voyage, 

when Furneaux, in HMS Adventure, accompanied 

Cook in the fl agship HMS Resolution, on his second 

Pacifi c voyage. 

Cook and Furneaux sailed south from Europe, 

replenishing supplies in Cape Town, before continuing 

southwards towards Antarctica. Having crossed the 

Antarctic Circle, Adventure and Resolution lost sight 

of one another in dense fog. Cook remained in the 

area to conduct further explorations, while Furneaux 

set a course for New Zealand, where the two ships had 

agreed to meet. On his way, Furneaux sailed close to 

Tasmania and charted the south and east coasts. 

Furneaux waited in Queen Charlotte Sound, New 

Answer the questions. 

1. Give the two reasons why Furneaux decided to return to Britain. 

Tobias Furneaux 

Zealand for Captain Cook and the Resolution to 

arrive. While they waited, a landing party went ashore 

to collect some edible plants to improve their diet. 

They were attacked by Maoris and, in the skirmish, 

ten crewmen and two officers were killed. After such 

a tragedy, Furneaux decided to set sail for home. 

Adventure sailed to the island of Tahiti for fresh 

water, repairs and other supplies. They also brought 

with them a young man named Omai, who would be 

the first Polynesian seen in Britain. 

The ship then set a course for Cape Horn at the tip of 

South America and then on to the Cape of Good Hope 

for more repairs and supplies before heading north 

for home. 



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THE BRITISH 

Tobias Furneaux – 2 

2. Tobias Furneaux achieved a great deal on his trip to the Pacific but not everything went as planned. Record his 

successes and failures. 

successes 

failures 

3. What reasons do you think the Maori people had for being hostile to Furneaux’s crew? 

4. Omai, the young Polynesian, would have experienced a feast of cultural differences on his arrival in Britain in 

July 1774. Research on the Internet for information to help you complete the table by describing some of these 

differences. 

weather food clothes 

Maori warrior confronting 

Furneaux’s crew 



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housing towns transport 

5. Using an atlas to help you, mark Tobias Furneaux’s route on an outline map of the world. Label the places 

mentioned in the text. 

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George Bass and Matthew Flinders – 1 

George Bass and Matthew Flinders arrived in Australia on board 

HMS Reliance in 1795. Fired with enthusiasm about exploring 

this new land, they both wanted to make names for themselves and 

put their names on the map—literally! 

In 1797, George Bass took command of an open whaleboat and a 

small crew to explore the south-east coast of Australia. Travelling south 

from Sydney, he reached Point Hicks, where Cook had first sighted the 

new continent. From here, he was in uncharted waters. Bass and his 

crew sailed as far as Western Port bay, charting the coastline, before 

returning to Sydney. 

Meanwhile, Matthew Flinders was 

taking part in an expedition to 

recover the cargo of a merchant ship 

which had been stranded close to 

the Furneaux Islands, north-east of 

Tasmania. He believed that the tides 

around these islands showed that 

Tasmania was also an island. 

On his return, Flinders asked Bass to accompany him on a voyage to prove whether Tasmania was an island or 

not. They sailed in Norfolk, built by convicts on Norfolk Island, the first boat to be built in the new colony. 

Travelling in an anticlockwise 

direction, George Bass and Matthew 

Flinders discovered that Tasmania 

was indeed an island, separated from 

the mainland by a rough stretch of 

water which was later to be named 

Bass Strait. George Bass finally had 

his name on the map! 

George Bass 




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THE BRITISH 

George Bass and Matthew Flinders – 2 


1. Answer True or False. 

(a) Bass and Flinders arrived in Australia separately ......................................................................................... 

(b) George Bass sailed in an open whaleboat. ....................................................................................................... 

(c) Matthew Flinders did not think Tasmania was an island. ....................................................................... 

(d) Bass and Flinders discovered Tasmania was an island. ............................................................................ 

2. How is George Bass remembered on the map of Australia? 

3. (a) Would you like to have travelled in a small, open boat from Sydney to Western Port and back? 

(b) Write three things in favour of and three things against such a trip. 

4. Matthew Flinders also has his name on the map. Use an atlas to discover in which Australian State(s) these 

places are. 

5. (a) Fit all the names into the puzzle to discover the name of a place in the highlighted area. 

Furneaux (8) 

Sydney (6) 

Flinders (8) 

Western Port (11) 

Matthew (7) 

Reliance (8) 

Bass (4) 

Point Hicks (10) 

in favour 

Flinders Ranges National Park 

Flinders Group National Park 

Flinders Bay 

against 

True 

True 

True 

True 

Yes 

False 

False 

False 

False 



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E 

N 

P 

H 

No 

(b) The place is 

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THE BRITISH 

Matthew Flinders – 1 

Matthew Flinders is recognised as being the first 

explorer to circumnavigate Australia. He charted 

the coastline using maps of earlier explorers and 

filled in the parts that were previously uncharted. 

Some of the events of his long voyage in HMS 

Investigator include: 

• leaving Great Britain in July 1801, Flinders 

travelled to Australia via Cape Town; 

• on the coast of South Australia, Flinders Island 

was named in honour of Samuel, Matthew 

Flinders’s brother, 

• at the entrance to South Australia’s Spencer Gulf, 

the ship’s master, John Thistle, and seven crew 

were drowned. Cape Catastrophe and Thistle 

Island commemorate this sad event, 

• on 8 April 1802, Flinders came upon the 

Géographe, the ship of the French explorer, 

Nicolas Baudin, at Encounter Bay. Luckily, at 

that time France and Britain were enjoying a 

brief period of peace, 

• a safe route through the Great Barrier Reef, now 

known as Flinders Passage, was discovered, 

• Flinders proved that it was possible to sail safely 

through the Torres Strait in just three days, 

• in honour of early Dutch navigators, Flinders 

gave many places Dutch names; for example, 

Duyfken Point and Groote Eylandt, 

• at Groote Eylandt, William Westall, the artist 

on board, became the first European to record 

the rock paintings of the northern Australian 

Aborigines, 

• from Arnhem Land, Flinders sailed to Timor 

for repairs and supplies. During their time on 

land, many crew became ill. Flinders decided to 

return to Sydney as quickly as possible without 

charting the west coast, 

• in June 1803, HMS Investigator, in a bad state 

of repair, sailed into Sydney Harbour. 

In August 1803, Matthew 

Flinders left Sydney to 

return to Britain. After a 

few weeks, the ship was 

wrecked in the Coral 

Sea. In the ship’s 

cutter, Flinders 

returned to Sydney 

to organise a 

rescue for the 

wreck’s survivors. 

Three rescue ships 

left Sydney, one 

bound for China, one returning directly to Sydney and 

one, the Cumberland, sailing to Britain. 

Although Cumberland was itself in a poor state of 

repair, Flinders chose to take the longer journey 

home. He headed north from Sydney, as he wanted to 

complete his survey of the Torres Strait. 

In trouble in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Flinders 

decided to land in Mauritius, even though Britain 

was at war with France and Mauritius was under 

French rule. He had hoped to pick up another 

ship to continue his journey, but was arrested by 

the Governor. He was accused of being a spy and 

thrown into prison, where he remained for almost 

seven years. While imprisoned, he drew his map of 

Australia and completed his book, A voyage to Terra 

Australis. The book was finally published on 18 July 

1814. On 19 July 1814, Matthew Flinders died. 



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1. How long did Flinders’s voyage in HMS Investigator 

last? 

2. (a) Using an atlas, mark Flinders’s route around 

Australia, naming all the places mentioned in 

the text. 

(b) Draw sketches to illustrate events that occurred 

along the way. 


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THE BRITISH 

Matthew Flinders – 2 

Flinders followed the coastline as closely as possible. He went ashore often to make detailed observations 

of the land, plants and animals. His charts were so accurate that much of the information from them is 

still in use today. 

Flinders and his crew encountered Indigenous people when they went ashore. Sometimes, they only found 

evidence of their presence, such as the remains of fires, earthen jars, trees cut with axes or makeshift 

dwellings. 

Bungaree, an Aboriginal friend, was on board with Flinders. He was able to interpret and pass messages 

between Flinders and the Aboriginal people. 

Here are some translations of common words as compiled by Flinders, with the help of Bungaree. 

eye mail stars pir-nie 

teeth lir-ra sea kaa-po 

hand gong rainbow bap-pee 

foot loc-ko kangaroo loi-ty-o 

sun la-ran-gai good to eat bo-rum 

moon kul-le-gea swimming poun-gan 

In places such as the Pellew Archipelago, evidence of Asian visitors 

to the country was also found; for example, bamboo latticework, hats 

made from sewn palm leaves, and the remnants of cotton trousers. 

Complete the table. 

1. Encounters between the officers and crew of HMS Investigator and 

local Aboriginal people could have been either friendly or hostile. Give 

possible reasons for either outcome. 

how the British 

looked 

friendly 

hostile 

Matthew Flinders and his 

Aboriginal friend, Bungaree 



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how the British 

acted 

how the 

Aborigines 

looked 

how the 

Aborigines 

acted 

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John Murray 

The beautiful city of Melbourne stands on the banks of the Yarra River, which 

flows into Port Phillip Bay. This vast bay is protected from the open waters of 

the Bass Strait by the Bellarine and Mornington peninsulas. They are separated 

by a narrow inlet which today may be crossed by ferry. 

Just over two hundred years ago, John Murray sailed Lady Nelson through the 

inlet and discovered this hidden jewel. He explored the land around the 

bay and knew it would be a perfect place to build a colony, as the land was 

rich for farming and the large river fl owing into the bay provided a source 

of fresh water. 

On 9 March 1802, John Murray raised the British flag and took possession of 

the area for King George III. It was named Port Phillip in honour of Arthur Phillip, 

John Murray 

the first governor of the colony. 

A month after Murray left the area, Matthew Flinders sailed into the bay, believing he was the first explorer to 

discover it. It was only on his arrival in Sydney some time later that he learned of John Murray’s success. 


1. Use an atlas to help you label the map correctly by writing the appropriate letter in each box. 

A – Mornington Peninsula B – Bellarine Peninsula 

C – Melbourne 

D – Port Phillip Bay 



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2. What do you think would have led Murray to believe that the land around Port Phillip was good for 

farming? 


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THE BRITISH 

Phillip Parker King 

In 1818, mariner Phillip Parker King was chosen to lead a 

surveying expedition in HMS Mermaid to improve Flinders’s 

charting of the north-west coastline between Arnhem Land and 

North West Cape. 

On his voyage, travelling clockwise around the coast from Sydney, 

King visited King George Sound and Oyster Harbour, which had 

been discovered almost 30 years earlier by George Vancouver. 

Here he replenished supplies and repaired the ship’s rigging. At 

this time, he named Mount Martin and some smaller bays along 

the coastline. 

After 11 days, King continued his journey west then to the north, 

following the coastline. Along the way, he named Dampier 

Archipelago and Port Essington and proved that Melville 

Island was not connected to the mainland. 

A year after returning to Sydney, King made a second voyage in HMS Mermaid, this time travelling north from 

Sydney. He navigated safely through the waters between the east coast and the Great Barrier Reef, through the 

Torres Strait and on to the Wessel Islands, Cambridge Gulf and Cape Londonderry, before returning home. 

Three years after first visiting King George Sound, King returned in HMS Bathurst. On this occasion, local 

Aborigines appeared on the shore of Oyster Harbour and King went to meet them. They had a friendly 

exchange and King drew a sketch as a record of their encounter. 

In 1822, King circumnavigated Dirk Hartog Island and left a record of his visit. He spelt out his name, using 

nails hammered into the post that had held the pewter replica of Dirk Hartog’s original plate. 

1. Using an atlas and an outline map of Australia, record King’s routes and the places mentioned in the text. 

Include a legend on your map. 

2. (a) Visit on the Internet for uniforms of early British 

naval officers. On art paper, sketch a picture of an officer of the Royal Navy. 



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(b) On art paper, draw a close-up version of King’s meeting with the Aborigines. 

Phillip Parker King anchored HMS Mermaid in King George Sound, where he and his men met with the local Aborigines. 

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THE BRITISH 

Map summary of 

British exploration 

of Australia 

1803 Matthew Flinders 

Matthew Flinders in Investigator 

heads for Timor for supplies and 

repairs after charting the south, 

east and north coasts of Australia. 

1819 Phillip Parker King 

in Mermaid charts from 

Wessel Islands to Cape 

Londonderrys 

1818 Phillip Parker King 

in Mermaid charts from 

Exmouth to Port Essington 

1797 George Bass 

in an open whaleboat 

charts coast from Point 

Hicks to Western Port 

1688 William Dampier 

in Cygnet explores Cape 

Leveque, King Sound and 

Buccaneer Archipelago 

1699 William Dampier 

in Roebuck lands on Dirk 

Hartog Island and travels 

north to Roebuck Bay 

1802 Matthew Flinders 

in Investigator arrives at 

the Australian coastline from 

the Cape of Good Hope and 

charts an easterly course to 

circumnavigate Australia 

1791 George Vancouver 

in Discovery describes King 

George Sound as the best 

natural harbour in the world 

1801 John Murray 

in Lady Nelson discovers 

Port Phillip Bay 

1798 Bass and Flinders 

in Norfolk circumnavigate 

Tasmania 

1773 Tobias Furneaux 

in Adventure charts south 

and east coasts of Tasmania 

1770 Captain James Cook 

22 August 1770, Cook raises fl ag on 

Possession Island, and claims New South 

Wales in the name of the British King, 

George III. 

11 June 1770 Endeavour strikes sharp 

coral on Great Barrier Reef 

1801 James Grant 

in Lady Nelson charts coastline 

between Wilsons Promontory 

and Western Port 

29 April 1770 Isaac Smith 

becomes fi rst Briton 

to land on the shore 

of eastern Australia, at 

Botany Bay 

19 April 1770 Lieutenant Zachary Hicks 

sights land; was named 

Point Hicks in his honour 



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THE BRITISH 

Maps of British exploration routes of Australia 



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THE BRITISH 

HMB Endeavour 

country of origin: Great Britain 

built: 1764 

type: bark 

length: 29.7 m 

weight: 375 tonnes (est.) 

hull: wood 

armament: 14 guns 



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THE BRITISH 

Quiz – The British 

1. Who was the first British man to land on Australian soil? 

14. What was the name of the Polynesian man who returned to 

Britain with Tobias Furneaux? 

2. Who was the first British man to sight the east coast of 

Australia? 

3. What honour did King George III bestow upon James Cook 

after his death? 

4. In which group of islands was James Cook killed? 

(a) Solomon (b) Hawaiian (c) Fijian 

5. George Bass rescued some convicts in his whaleboat. 

True False 

6. Flinders’s Aboriginal friend was, 

(a) Bungaree (b) Ernie (c) Yagan 

7. In which year was the 200-year anniversary of Bass and 

Flinders discovering that Tasmania is an island? 

(a) 1998 (b) 1778 (c) 1978 

8. How many voyages did James Cook make to the Pacific? 

9. Who was the botanist on board James Cook’s ship, 

HMB Endeavour? 

10. Which Western Australian city has developed around King 

George Sound? 

11. Who charted and named the bays within King George Sound 

at the end of the 18th century? 

12. James Cook was the first man to cross the 

(a) Arctic Circle ................................. 

(b) Equator ....................................... 

(c) Antarctic Circle ........................... 

13. Tobias Furneaux charted the south and east coasts of which 

island? 

15. Bass and Flinders explored Botany Bay in a boat named 

(a) Tom Tickle (b) Tiny Tim (c) Tom Thumb 

16. Bass and Flinders circumnavigated Tasmania in the boat, 

(a) Norfolk (b) Suffolk (c) Norwich 

17. What is the name of the stretch of water between Tasmania 

and the mainland? 

18. Matthew Flinders charted the shores of Australia in the ship 

(a) HMS Detective ................................... 

(b) HMS Instigator .................................. 

(c) HMS Investigator .............................. 

19. What nationality was Nicolas Baudin, whom Flinders met at 

Encounter Bay? 

20. How long was Flinders jailed for? 

21. Port Phillip Bay was discovered by 

(a) Matthew Flinders ............................... 

(b) John Murray ...................................... 

(c) George Bass? ...................................... 

22. Port Phillip Bay was named after the first Governor of the 

colony. What was his full name? 



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23. The first known European vessel to sail through the Bass 

Strait from west to east was 

(a) HMS Lady Nelson ............................. 

(b) HMS Admiral Nelson ....................... 

(c) HMS Jimmy Nelson .......................... 

24. Which navigator drew a sketch of his friendly encounter with 

Aboriginal people? 

25. Phillip Parker King surveyed areas of the north and northwest 

coast of Australia in HMS Mermaid. 

True False 

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The British – Answers 

THE BRITISH 

William Dampier – 2 ..................................... 73 

Teacher check 

James Cook – 2 ............................................. 75 

Teacher check 

James Cook – 3 ............................................. 76 

1. navigate 11. Tahiti 

2. command 12. unknown 

3. war 13. exact 

4. Astronomy 14. Ocean 

5. interest 15. position 

6. calculations 16. botany 

7. voyage 17. species 

8. Venus 18. banksia 

9. sun 19. drawings 

10. instructions 20. sketched 

James Cook – 4 ............................................. 77 

1. Observe Venus crossing in front of the sun, find the great 

unknown southern land, claim it for Britain, chart the exact 

position of New Zealand 

2. – 4. Teacher check 

George Vancouver – 1 ................................... 78 

Teacher check 

George Vancouver – 2 ................................... 79 


2. abundance – more than enough 

apprenticeship – the learning of a new trade 

menacing – threatening 

prominent – sticking out 

relentless – never stopping 

replenishing – refilling 

voyage – a long journey 


Tobias Furneaux –1....................................... 80 

lost contact with James Cook, the leader of the expedition 

disheartened after the tragic deaths of officers and crew 

Tobias Furneaux – 2 ...................................... 81 

Teacher check 

George Bass and Matthew Flinders – 2 .......... 83 

1. (a) False (b) True (c) False (d) True 

2. Bass Strait is named after him. 


4. Flinders Ranges National Park – South Australia 

Flinders Group National Park – Queensland 

Flinders Bay – Western Australia 

5. 

W E S T E R N P O R T 

B A S S 

S Y D N E Y 

M A T T H E W 

F U R N E A U X 

P O I N T H I C K S 

F L I N D E R S 

R E L I A N C E 

Matthew Flinders – 1 .................................... 84 

1. two years 


Matthew Flinders – 2 .................................... 85 

Teacher check 

John Murray ................................................. 86 

Teacher check 

Phillip Parker King ....................................... 87 

Teacher check 

Teacher check – Quiz .................................... 91 

1. William Dampier 

2. Zachary Hicks 

3. Coat of Arms 

4. (b) Hawaiian 

5. true 

6. (a) Bungaree 

7. (a) 1998 

8. three 

9. Joseph Banks 

10. Albany 

11. George Vancouver 

12. (c) Antarctic Circle 

13. Tasmania 

14. Omai 

15. (c) Tom Thumb 

16. (a) HMS Norfolk 

17. Bass Strait 

18. (c) HMS Investigator 

19. French 

20. almost seven years 

21. (b) John Murray 

22. Arthur Phillip 

23. (a) HMS Lady Nelson 

24. Phillip Parker King 

25. True 



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