Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania on December 24, 1642, during his voyage for the Dutch East India Company. He initially sighted the island, which he named Van Diemen's Land, while exploring the southern seas. The journey took place over several months, with Tasman departing from the Netherlands in August 1642 and reaching Tasmania in late December of the same year.
Abel Tasman made two significant voyages, in 1642 and 1644. He records the discovery of Fiji, New Zealand, and van Diemen's Land, now Australia.[Each country had been found by their indigenous peoples long before this. Discover implies 'uncovering' - making widely known.]
Because that WAS his name. He located and mapped the land mass today called australia long before Captain Cook. Somewhere around 1642. The Dutch called it Nieuw Holland and and also located Nieuw Zealand.
Abel Tasman did not name Australia. The name Australia comes from the Latin term 'terra australis incognita', meaning "unknown southern land", because for so long the continent of Australia was theorised, but not realised.Matthew Flinders, the first to circumnavigate the continent, was the one who suggested the name "Terra Australis" and this became Australia, the name officially adopted in 1824.In 1642, Abel Tasman named the island and southern state now known as Tasmania Van Diemen's Land after Antony Van Diemen, governor of Batavia.
It is about 11/2 hours. Sydney's 500 miles from Melbourne, & then about 150 more across the Tasman.
It depends on what you mean by "how old". Much of Tasmania is composed of dolerite which means the island began life as stewing magma agitating under the earth's crust until, some 145-199 million years ago, it spewed forth from the belly of the earth during the Jurassic period. Much later, about ten thousand years ago, Tasmania split off from the mainland of Australia, compelled by tectonic forces to begin a new life as an island. Anthropological evidence suggests man occupied Tasmania some 35,000 years ago, long before it drifted out to sea. In 1642, Abel Tasman, the European to discover the island, spotted Tasmania. British colonies occupied the island in the early 19th century.
Tasmania could be said to have been founded by Lieutenant-Governor David Collins in 1804. He was directed by the British Government to establish a convict settlement on Australia's southern coast. This settlement did not succeed due to the lack of fresh water, suitable local timber and the fact that the treacherous entrance to Port Phillip Bay made the site unusable as a whaling base.Collins had heard that there was better land and timber in Van Diemen's Land, so he moved most of the settlement across Bass Strait, and established Hobart on the Derwent River early in 1804.
Abel Tasman was a Dutch explorer who was the first European to discover the area now called New Zealand. Zeeland is a Dutch province which is a seafaring region. The Dutch authorities on the report of Abel Tasman named the new found island, New Zealand.
The Polynesian ancestors of the Maori discoverd Aotearoa New Zealand and began settlment in the late 13th century. James Cook made its existence widely known to the world in the late 1700s. However, Abel Tasman was the first European to "discover" New Zealand in 1642.
Life for Abel Tasman while aboard his ships was marked by the challenges of exploration during the 17th century. He faced harsh weather conditions, limited provisions, and the constant threat of conflict with indigenous populations. The crew's daily routine involved navigation, charting new territories, and managing the ship, all while maintaining morale during long voyages. Despite these hardships, Tasman and his crew experienced the thrill of discovery and the pursuit of knowledge about uncharted lands.
During his journeys, Abel Tasman and his crew primarily relied on preserved foods such as salted meat, hardtack (a type of dry biscuit), and ship's biscuits. They also supplemented their diet with fresh provisions when available, including fish and any fruits or vegetables they could acquire from local sources or islands they visited. The limited supplies and long voyages often made their diet quite monotonous and challenging.
Abel Tasman's journey in 1642, during which he became the first European to reach New Zealand, lasted about three months. He set sail from the Dutch East Indies in August and returned in early December of the same year. His expedition aimed to explore the southern continent, which was believed to exist, but ultimately he didn't find the rich lands he sought. The voyage covered significant distances across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
First non-polynesian contact in NZ was 1642 by Abel Tasman (a Dutch explorer). But the first time the British came to NZ was in 1769 via James Cook (an explorer)