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Australia was certainly known in the 17th century, but it was not known as 'Australia'.
The Australian continent was variously known as Locac or Lucach, India meridional (South India), Java le Grande and Terra Australis by Mercator (and others) in the latter half of the 1500s.
The name Australia is derived from the Latin phrase terra australis incognita meaning 'unknown south land' in reference to the as yet unknown land mass believed to lie in the south throughout the Middle Ages.
Portuguese sailor Pedro Fernández de Quirós (in portuguese Fernandes de Queirós), searched for this new land in 1606 while serving in the spanish navy, and called it Austrialia del Espíritu Santo or 'Great South Land of the Holy Spirit'. The word "Austrialia", slightly different from the current "Australia", was a mixture formed by "Austria" (the country of origin of the Habsburg dinasty) and "Austral" ("Southern"). In those times the current nations of Spain and Portugal were under the rule of the same crown. The word Austrialia was intended to be an homage to the ruling monarchs. Different variations on the name were used in many languages. There was, however, a German document dating back to 1545 describing a southern land mass as Australia.
The first to chart any part of the Australian coast and meet with aboriginal people was Dutch sea trader Willem Janszoon who commanded the ship Duyfken.
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Who was a famous 17th century Australian artist?
There are no famous 17th century Australian artists. Australia was not settled until late in the 18th century.
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