Dirk Hartog first landed on the western coast of Australia at Cape Inscription on 25 October 1616.
It was Dirk Hartog who was the first European to land on the west coast of Australia.
Dirk Hartog was the name of a Dutch explorer who was born in Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. He lived near Oude Kerk in the De Wallen area of Amsterdam, where he was baptized, and later married.
Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog did not claim Australia because he did not see that the land offered anything of value. Landing on the west coast, he was faced with flat, featureless countryside that held few prospects for future trade - a complete contrast to what Cook saw when he charted (and claimed) the eastern coast over 150 years later.
The island state of Tasmania was named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Dirk Hartog Island is an island off the northwestern coast, and it is named after Dutch explorer Dirk hartog (obviously).
Dirk Hartog came to Australia quite by accident. At certain times of the year, strong trade winds known as the "Roaring Forties" would sweep across the Indian Ocean, and for the most part, the traders travelling to the Spice Islands were able to use these winds to direct their ships. In 1616, Dutch sea-captain Dirk Hartog accidentally sailed too far while he was trying out Henderik Brouwer's previously discovered route from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia. The Roaring Forties directed Hartog onto Western Autralia's shores.
In 1616, Dutch sea-captain Dirk Hartog sailed too far whilst trying out Henderik Brouwer's recently discovered route from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia, via the Roaring Forties. Reaching the western coast of Australia, he landed at Cape Inscription on 25 October 1616.
In the case of Dutch sea-captain Dirk Hartog, his landing was accidental. Hartog sailed too far while he was trying out Henderik Brouwer's recently discovered route from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia, via the Roaring Forties. Others were wrecked on reefs off the coast.
No single person mapped the entire west coast of Australia, so it was mapped over many years. The first person to land on Western Australia's coast was Dirk Hartog, in 1616. Between then and 1699, which was William Dampier's second expedition to western Australia, various sections were mapped. Matthew Flinders filled in the gaps when he circumnavigated Australia in 1801-1802.
Dirk Hartog is believed to have been the first European explorer to set foot on Western Australia's shores, doing so on 25 October 1616. Note that he was not the first European to sight Australia or to land on the continent - that honour goes to Willem Jansz, who landed on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606.
Dirk Hartog did not "explore" Australia - he merely landed on the western coast. There was little of sufficient interest in the flat, featureless countryside he saw to warrant exploration. Dirk Hartog arrived in Australia quite by accident. He was not sent to explore the land. At certain times of the year, strong trade winds known as the "Roaring Forties" would sweep across the Indian Ocean, and for the most part, the traders travelling to the Spice Islands were able to use these winds to direct their ships. In 1616, Dutch sea-captain Dirk Hartog accidentally sailed too far while he was trying out Henderik Brouwer's previously discovered route from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia. The Roaring Forties directed Hartog onto Western Autralia's shores.
Dirk Hartog was a Dutch explorer born around 1580 in the city of Amsterdam. Little is known about his early life, but he likely received a seafaring education typical for men of his background during that era. He became a skilled navigator and sailor, which led him to embark on voyages to the East Indies. His most notable expedition was in 1616 when he became the first European to land on Australia's western coast.