Who claimed Australia for Great Britain?

Answer 1

Although Willem Jansz was the first to step foot on the Australian continent (in 1606) and James Cook claimed the eastern half of the Australian continent in the name of England in 1770, the first permanent settlement in Australia was founded by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788.

Answer 2

In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook (not yet a Captain) claimed "New South Wales", which was actually Australia's eastern half, for Britain. He claimed the east coast under instruction from King George III of England.

At that time, no-one had claimed the western half or the south. In 1829, Captain Charles Fremantle was sent to take formal possession of the remainder of New Holland which had not already been claimed for Britain under the territory of New South Wales. On 2 May 1829, Captain Fremantle raised the Union Jack on the south head of the Swan River, thus claiming the territory for Britain.

The southern regions were claimed by virtue of establishing more colonies. Had the French beaten the British to these regions, Australia could well be one-third French by now ...

Answer 3

It was Great Britain that claimed Australia.

The Dutch were actually the first recorded Europeans to both sight and set foot on the continent of Australia, but they saw little potential for trade or Natural Resources.

In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook, who had not yet been promoted to Captain, claimed "New South Wales", which was actually Australia's eastern seaboard, for Britain. He claimed the east coast under instruction from King George III of England.

The French showed considerable interest in Australia, and apparently made a formal claim to Australian territory in 1772, two years after Cook. They claimed to have landed at Dhark Bay in the west, raised the French flag and claimed the western half of the continent, documenting the event. These documents, along with several French coins, were allegedly placed at the base of a tree, and the location was named "The Bay of Taking Possesion", or "Baie de Prise de Possession". (One of the coins was retrieved in a 1998 expedition, but the bottle contained only sand, and an archaeological team was unable to locate any traces of the document.) French captain Nicolas Baudin sailed to Australia's eastern coast with the intention of claiming Van Diemen's Land in 1802, but Governor asking sent Charles Robbins to dissuade him - a mission that was successful.

At that time, no-one had claimed the western half or the south. In 1829, Captain Charles Fremantle was sent to take formal possession of the remainder of New Holland which had not already been claimed for Britain under the territory of New South Wales. On 2 May 1829, Captain Fremantle raised the Union Jack on the south head of the Swan River, thus claiming the territory for Britain. The southern regions were claimed by virtue of establishing more colonies.

Answer 4

Although the Dutch and the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover Australia, they did not claim the land and showed a distinct lack of interest in Terra Australis. The first European to claim Australia was James Cook, who named the eastern half New South Wales, and claimed it for England in 1770. At that time, no-one had claimed the western half. In 1829, Captain Charles Fremantle was sent to take formal possession of the remainder of New Holland which had not already been claimed for Britain under the territory of New South Wales. On 2 May 1829, Captain Fremantle raised the Union Jack on the south head of the Swan River, thus claiming the territory for Britain.

Answer 5

James Cook claimed the eastern half of the Australian continent in 1770, under the name of New South Wales.

Answer 6

James Cook was a Lieutenant, not a Captain, when he claimed the eastern half of Australia for Great Britain.