Society & Culture Australia

[worbod]

Who is considered or known to be the first person to arrive in or discover Australia? Is it William Dampier?

 

[tandino]

A cool cat named Willem Janszoon.

The first European, of course. But it's pretty obvious that's what you meant.

 

[The_Reaper]

Dirk Hartog

 

[Scotland]

Janszoon landed the Duyfken in what is now Qld 8 years earlier than Hartog landed the Eendracht in WA.

 

[worbod]

Thanks for this info about Janszoon. It would appear Hartog has the distinction of being the first person to land on the western coast of Australia, but having now read about these two chaps, I can see that Janszoon is the main man. This now gives me something solid to say to anyone who still thinks Captain Cook was the first guy to discover this place.

 

[DESTRUCTOR]

Ernie Dingo

 

[strung_out7]

There is actually an interesting story from the Batavia wreck on the abrohlos islands (WA). Although there is no proof, it is thought that 2 of the men punished for the bloodbath on the Abrohlos island were dropped off on the 'mainland'. And apparently when europeans first entered the region between Kalbarri and Carnarvon, they noticed the skin tone of the aboriginals was lighter than usual, meaning that these 2 may of survived and bred with the indigenous population

 

[kfc1]

There is a really good novel called "Strange Objects" by Gary Crew which is based on the Batavia wreck and later discovery of artefacts. Whilst its a work of fiction, tis a bloody good read if you are interested in the history of it. I first read it as a kid and loved it - it's one of the few fiction books I actually keep re-reading.

 

[Troubadour]

There is a theory that the Chinese originally landed in Australia around the 11th or 12th century during an attempt to map the globe. A change in leadership and direction saw much of their knowledge and expansionism destroyed.

 

[korgmeister]

is this something like which race is more superior if knowing who discover australia first?

 

[DidakDelight]

There is actually an interesting story from the Batavia wreck on the abrohlos islands (WA). Although there is no proof, it is thought that 2 of the men punished for the bloodbath on the Abrohlos island were dropped off on the 'mainland'. And apparently when europeans first entered the region between Kalbarri and Carnarvon, they noticed the skin tone of the aboriginals was lighter than usual, meaning that these 2 may of survived and bred with the indigenous population

How far fetched is that?
Surely they would have been butchered if they tried to sample the local cuisine?

 

[strung_out7]

How far fetched is that?
Surely they would have been butchered if they tried to sample the local cuisine?

Heres some written info from wiki

Wouter Loos and a cabin boy, considered only minor offenders, were marooned on mainland Australia, never to be heard of again. Reports of unusually light-skinned Aborigines in the area by later British settlers have been suggested as evidence that the two men might have been adopted into a local Aboriginal clan. Some amongst the Amangu people of the mainland have a blood group specific to Leyden, in Holland.[5] However, numerous other European shipwreck survivors, such as those from the wreck of the Zuytdorp in the same region in 1712, may also have had such contact with indigenous inhabitants.

 

[morri]

Some one aboriginal I reckon, but if you are talking about Europeans I have heard it was the dutch, but they werent to interested since they only saw the rocky coast unlike cook who saw the more accessible part of australia..

 

[Ted38]

There is a theory that the Chinese originally landed in Australia around the 11th or 12th century during an attempt to map the globe. A change in leadership and direction saw much of their knowledge and expansionism destroyed.

Bloody boat people, and they're still arriving

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Makassan sea cucumber processors

 

[worbod]

is this something like which race is more superior if knowing who discover australia first?

That certainly isn't why I asked the question originally. I have noticed over the years that there are people within society who believe that Captain Cook was the person who discovered Australia, simply because he commanded the First Fleet. I was interested to try and obtain a definite answer after hearing talk about William Dampier on an episode of QI. It's just one of those common misconceptions in life, similar to people thinking that Atlas carried the world upon his shoulders in Greek mythology, or that polar bears and penguins live in the same region, that Jonah was swallowed by a whale or that ninjas have always dressed in black.

 

[RobbieGray17]

That certainly isn't why I asked the question originally. I have noticed over the years that there are people within society who believe that Captain Cook was the person who discovered Australia, simply because he commanded the First Fleet. I was interested to try and obtain a definite answer after hearing talk about William Dampier on an episode of QI. It's just one of those common misconceptions in life, similar to people thinking that Atlas carried the world upon his shoulders in Greek mythology, or that polar bears and penguins live in the same region, that Jonah was swallowed by a whale or that ninjas have always dressed in black.

I believe, and don't quote me, but Abel Tasman discovered Australia before cook, but the technical classification of 'discovering' a country didn't apply as he only discovered parts of the continent.

 

[Hap Hapablap]

some now claim a chinese explorer in the 14th century hit australian shores then.

edit:11th to 12th century as mentioned by others

 

[17beams]

That certainly isn't why I asked the question originally. I have noticed over the years that there are people within society who believe that Captain Cook was the person who discovered Australia, simply because he commanded the First Fleet. I was interested to try and obtain a definite answer after hearing talk about William Dampier on an episode of QI. It's just one of those common misconceptions in life, similar to people thinking that Atlas carried the world upon his shoulders in Greek mythology, or that polar bears and penguins live in the same region, that Jonah was swallowed by a whale or that ninjas have always dressed in black.

Cook commanded the Endeavour which landed in Botany Bay in 1770, the First Fleet didn't arrive in Australia untill 1788 and was lead Admiral Aruthur Phillip.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

is this something like which race is more superior if knowing who discover australia first?

My guess has always been "partly".
British Empire and all that, its not a big stretch from being the first to discover and chart part of east coast, and the site the first colony would later be, to being deemed to have discovered Australia. Particularly with a British narrative of history, it is seen as the important part of the story and the "real discovery". That possibly tended to be perpetuated because most national history textbooks are published in Sydney, and again in they eyes of many that is important enough to be considered the important discovery. The Cook discovery has been played up, by both British Empire and Sydney biases, to the point where the facts get blurred in the minds of many.
Even as a kid (in Tasmania) I found it strange that we were taught about Tasman's discovery of our island in 1642 - I don't think the WA part of the journey got a mention, though NZ may have done - and then later we had textbooks which referred to Cook's discovery over a century later as the discovery of Australia.