| European explorers had already made rough charts of some of the Australian coastline leading to speculation that a 'Great Southern Land' existed. |
This unknown land was referred to in Europe as Terra Australis Incognita.
Frederic de Houtman was a Dutch sea captain instructed by the Dutch East India Company to follow up Dirk Hartog's reports of an unknown continent whilst on route to Java.
In 1619, Houtman, sailing his ship Dordrecht through the new route reached the coast of Australia a little farther south from where the town of Freemantle stands today.
Within a few days of leaving, he noticed a dangerous reef and some small islets which he marked on his maps as Houtman's Abrolhos (meaning 'open your eyes' in Portugese). He continued on his journey to Java, telling stories of his adventures and then sailed back to Holland disapearing into antiquity forever.
|