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He set sail from Plymouth, England in 1768 and arrived back at Plymouth to end the voyage in 1771.

However, it is important to note that James Cook did not discover Australia. This is a fallacy which has continued to be perpetuated through much of Australia's history. Cook was important for being the first to chart the eastern coast, but he did not discover it, by any means.

The Dutch were the first to record obsevations of the continent, doing so in 1606. Numerous other expeditions by the Dutch followed. Cook was not even the first Englishman to set foot on Australia's shores: this honour belongs to English explorer and pirate, William Dampier, who first landed in 1688, and again in 1699, many years before Cook.

A further point is that Cook was not yet a captain when he sailed on this journey.

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11y ago
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10y ago

James Cook was not yet a captain, but a lieutenant, when he departed on his journey to the South Pacific in 1768. He was unaware at this stage of his secret orders to search for the "great south land", and this part of his journey was undertaken in 1769.

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10y ago

James Cook did not actually know he held secret orders that would eventually lead him to the shores of what we now call Australia. This particular journey departed in 1768 for Cook to observe the transit of Venus. Cook then went on to search for Terra Australis Incognita, according to his secret, sealed orders.

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Q: Where did Captain Cook set sail from to discover Australia?
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What ship did Captian Cook sail to Australia?

Contrary to popular belief, Captain James Cook did not discover Australia.When he first visited Australia's shores, he was in the HM Bark Endeavour.


Which country did Cook sail for?

Captain James Cook served in the British Royal Navy.


What year did Captain James Cook sail into Botany Bay?

James Cook sailed into Botany Bay in 1770.At the time, Cook was still a Lieutenant, and not yet a Captain.


How many times did captain James cook sail around the world?

i dont know do you?


Why do you acknowledge Captain Cook as Australia's discoverer?

James Cook, who was not even a captain when he charted Australia's eastern coast, was given the credit (incorrectly) for discovering Australia because it was upon his recommendation that Australia was actually settled by the British. Cook charted the eastern coast of Australia, and he was the one who claimed it in the name of Great Britain in 1770, calling it New South Wales. He charted the east coast between April and August of that year. For these reasons, Cook is often wrongly credited with discovering Australia. There were several Dutch and French explorers who landed on Australia's shores long before Cook even set sail, and Cook was not even the first Englishman to sight Australia, with that honour going to William Dampier. The Dutch did not make any formal claim to the continent, and the French claim was not substantiated. Because Australia had been settled by the British, and there was a continuing loyalty to the British, for years Australian schoolchildren were taught that Captain Cook discovered Australia.

Related questions

Why did captain Cook sail to Australia?

Because he wanted to own Australia


Where did captain cook sail to west east south or north?

Captain cook sailed to the west side of australia fhk


How many pirates sail ed with Captain Cook to Australia?

twenty peiple sailed with him.


What was built in Lake Burley Griffin to commemorate the bicentenary of Captain Cook's discovery of Eastern Australia?

The Captain James Cook memorial was built in 1970 to commemorate the bicentenary of Cook's charting of the east coast of Australia.A couple of points to consider, however: James Cook was not yet a captain when he charted the east coast - he was still a Lieutenant. Secondly, he did not "discover" it, but he was the first known European to sail along the east coast.


Where did captain James Cook sail?

England


Who did Captain cook sail for?

the royal socaity


What ship did Captian Cook sail to Australia?

Contrary to popular belief, Captain James Cook did not discover Australia.When he first visited Australia's shores, he was in the HM Bark Endeavour.


Did any of Captain Cook's children or wife sail with him?

no


Who created the first sail boat?

Captain Cook


When did Captain James Cook leave England on the First Fleet?

Captain James Cook did not travel on the First Fleet, which was a fleet transporting convicts to Australia in 1788. He set sail from England in 1768 on an expeditionary voyage, making his first landfall in Botany Bay, Australia in 1770.


Who was the first explorer to discover Victoria?

Captain James Cook was the first know explorer to sail up the east coast of Australia. He claimed the whole thing New South Whales, but at last Victoria was separate from new south whales and became Victoria.


What part of Australia did James Cook discover?

James Cook was the first known European to sail up and chart the eastern coast of Australia.On 29 April 1770, Botany Bay was the site of James Cook's first landing of HMS Endeavour on the continent of Australia.