Australian Explorers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Luis Vaez de Torres

Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the Torres Strait in 1606. Previous to his discovery, only Indonesian traders had visited the northern coastal area of Australia to trade with the local Aboriginals.

Answer: Willem Janszoon

Willem Janszoon, just a couple of months after de Torres had discoverd the Torres Strait, sailed into the Gulf of Carpentaria aboard the 'Duyfken' and mapped the Cape York Peninsula.

Answer: Dirk Hartog

Dirck Hartog, aboard the ship 'Eendracht', landed on the west coast of Australia on 25 October 1616. For posterity, Hartog nailed an engraved pewter plate to a wooden post erected at the landing site, now known as Cape Inscription, on Dirk Hartog Island. Unimpressed by the barren and dry land, he departed two days later!

Answer: Jan Carstensz

Jan Carstensz mapped and named the main features of the north western coast. He also described several armed encounters with Aborigines on the northern coast of Australia.

Answer: Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman circumnavigated not only Australia, between 1642 and 1643, he was the first European to sight Tasmania and New Zealand! At this time, Australia was christened 'New Holland'.

However, Tasman missed the Torres Strait and circumnavigated both Australia and New Guinea. The first person to circumnavigate Australia itself was Matthew Flinders in 1802-3.

Answer: William Dampier

William Dampier arrived in Australia on 17 August 1699 aboard the 'Roebuck'. He anchored his ship between Dirk Hartog Island and Peron Peninsula and, noticing the abundance of sharks, named the area 'Shark Bay'. He became the first Englishman to walk on Australian soil! The 'Roebuck' sank on its return voyage to England.

Answer: Matthew Flinders

An English explorer, naval officer and navigator, Matthew Flinders circumnavigated Australia and mapped much of its coastline. He and George Bass were the first Europeans to realize that Tasmania was an island, after they sailed around it!

Answer: Captain Arthur Phillip

On 18 January 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip entered Botany Bay with a flotilla of nine ships sailing into Botany Bay over three days, while the local Aborigines watched their arrival! On 25 January, Phillip sailed to Port Jackson and went ashore.

Answer: La Perouse

La Perouse, with two ships, arrived in Botany Bay. Early in February, the French fired on Aborigines at Botany Bay.

Answer: 1770

In 1770, Captain James Cook charted the east coast of Australia and claimed the 'Great Southern Land' for England. On 29 April, aboard the 'Endeavour', Cook entered Botany Bay. The 'Endeavour' was damaged after coming aground on the Great Barrier Reef and, with the ship repaired near the site of Cooktown and the mouth of the Endeavor River, Cook sailed off and up through the strait between Australia and New Guinea, reaching Batavia in October 1770, where about 30 members of the crew died from malaria!