European maritime exploration of Australia

This article is part of a series on the
History of Australia
Replica ship of the Duyfken, the first European ship to reach Australia
Timeline and periods Prehistory European exploration (sea) European exploration (land) 1788–1850 1851–1900 1901–1945 1945–present
Topics Abortion Agriculture Antisemitism Banking Capital punishment Civil rights Cinema Constitution Diplomacy Economics Federation Immigration Labour LGBT Military Monarchy Sports Telecommunications Rail transport Religion Unfree labour
By group African Australian Asian Australian Chinese Australian Indigenous people Jewish Australian Women LGBT Marriage Transgender
By region State/Territory Capital ACT Canberra New South Wales Sydney Northern Territory Darwin Queensland Brisbane South Australia Adelaide Tasmania Hobart Victoria Melbourne Western Australia Perth
See also List of years in Australia
Australia portal
v t e

The maritime European exploration of Australia consisted of several waves of European seafarers who sailed the edges of the Australian continent. Dutch navigators were the first Europeans known to have explored and mapped the Australian coastline. The first documented encounter was that of Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, in 1606. Dutch seafarers also visited the west and north coasts of the continent, as did French explorers.

The most famous expedition was that of Royal Navy Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook 164 years after Janszoon's sighting. After an assignment to make observations of the 1769 Transit of Venus, Cook followed Admiralty instructions to explore the south Pacific for the reported Terra Australis and on 19 April 1770 sighted the south-eastern coast of Australia and became the first recorded European to explore the eastern coastline. Explorers by land and sea continued to survey the continent for some years after settlement.