Readers ask: What Was The Original European Name Of Australia?

What did the British originally call Australia?

Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.

Who was the first European to discover Australia?

While Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, and traded with nearby islanders, the first documented landing on Australia by a European was in 1606. The Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed on the western side of Cape York Peninsula and charted about 300 km of coastline.

What was Australia called before 1901?

Before 1900, there was no actual country called Australia, only the six colonies – New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia. While these colonies were on the same continent, they were governed like six rival countries and there was little communication between them.

Why did the Dutch not Colonise Australia?

The reason the Dutch didn’t make a claim to Australia was because the part they saw – the western and north-western coast – was mostly uninhabitable. The north-west portion of the continent is mostly arid land or desert. There was no benefit to be seen in this land.

Is Australia still a British colony?

Australia is not directly under British rule, but it is nominally under British rule. Australia governs itself through its prime minister and its Governor General, but the Queen of Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, is still the monarch of Australia, though she doesn’t directly rule it.

What was Australia called before?

After British colonisation, the name New Holland was retained for several decades and the south polar continent continued to be called Terra Australis, sometimes shortened to Australia.

Who named Australia?

Australia appears to have gradually been used in Britain from the late 1820s. So Commander Matthew Flinders officially named Australia, the name he first chose in 1804.

When was the first Aboriginal killed?

1838. Myall Creek massacre – 10 June: 28 people killed at Myall Creek near Inverell, New South Wales. This was the first Aboriginal massacre for which white European and black African settlers were successfully prosecuted.

Who colonized New Zealand?

Under the leadership of British statesman Edward G. Wakefield, the first British colonists to New Zealand arrive at Port Nicholson on Auckland Island. In 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman became the first European to discover the South Pacific island group that later became known as New Zealand.

How do you say hello in Australian Aboriginal?

Some of the most well known Aboriginal words for hello are: Kaya, which means hello in the Noongar language. Palya is a Pintupi language word used as a greeting much in the same way that two friends would say hello in English while Yaama is a Gamilaraay language word for hello used in Northern NSW.

Did Chinese discover Australia?

You see in the 1420s Australia’s west and east coasts were visited and charted by the Chinese. They swept up the west coast of Africa, sailed down the east and west coasts of both North and South America – and they even visited the Arctic and Antarctic.

Did slavery exist in Australia?

Slavery in Australia has existed in various forms from colonisation in 1788 to the present day. European settlement relied heavily on convicts, sent to Australia as punishment for crimes and forced into labour and often sold to free settlers.

What did the aboriginals call Australia?

The nations of Indigenous Australia were, and are, as separate as the nations of Europe or Africa. The Aboriginal English words ‘blackfella’ and ‘whitefella’ are used by Indigenous Australian people all over the country — some communities also use ‘yellafella’ and ‘coloured’.

Did the Dutch settle in Australia?

The claim that Dutch survivors of shipwrecks had formed settlements in Australia before the First Fleet has captured imaginations. Most amazingly, he’s suggested the settlement may have thrived into the 19th century but it seems tangible evidence of a Dutch settlement is yet to be found.

Why Australia is called Down Under?

Australia is a continent, a country and an island! It is nicknamed the “Land Down Under ” because it is below the equator. The only country in Australia is Australia. Australia is a country, a continent and an island.