Why did Europeans first come to Australia?

Answer 1

Europeans came to Australia for a variety of reasons.

• The first Europeans were seeking the great southern continent they were convinced must exist south of the equator.
• Dutch traders came across Australia while searching for new trade routes to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
• The English and French came in search of new land to take for their empires.
• In the end, for various reasons, the British Government chose to establish a colony in Australia, claiming the continent for its empire, and sent 11 ship loads of people, including convicts, to colonise the land. This was because conditions in England in the 18th century were tough: the industrial revolution had removed many people's opportunities to earn an honest wage as simpler tasks were replaced by machine labour. As unemployment rose, so did crime, especially the theft of basic necessities such as food and clothing. The British prison system was soon full to overflowing, and a new place had to be found to ship the prison inmates. The American colonies were no longer viable, following the American war of Independence. Following Captain Cook's voyage to the South Pacific in 1770, the previously uncharted continent of New Holland proved to be suitable. Cook had claimed the eastern half of the continent for England, naming it "New South Wales", and determined that a small bay in the south which he named "botany Bay" would present the ideal conditions for a penal colony.

Answer 2

Europeans first came to Australia in the late 18th century for various reasons, including exploration, mapping of new territories, trade opportunities, and potential colonization. The British in particular saw Australia as a suitable place to establish a penal colony to alleviate overcrowding in their prisons.