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Why did Abel Tasman travel to Australia?
In 1642 Anthony van Diemen (1593-1645), the governor-general of Dutch East Indies, selected Tasman to command an exploratory voyage to the Southern Hemisphere in an attempt to locate new sources of wealth and commerce.
When did Abel Tasman travel to Australia?
On 24 November 1642, Tasman reached and sighted the west coast of Tasmania, north of Macquarie Harbour. He named his discovery Van Diemen’s Land, after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
What did Abel Tasman bring to Australia?
Seafarer, explorer and merchant Abel Janszoon Tasman was the first European to discover Tasmania and confirm Australia as an island continent.
What was one of Britain’s first purpose for the Australian colonies?
penal colony
Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.
Why did Britain invade Australia?
The reasons that led the British to invade Australia were simple. The prisons in Britain had become unbearably overcrowded, a situation worsened by the refusal of America to take any more convicts after the American War of Independence in 1783.
What did Abel Tasman do in New Zealand?
Abel Tasman was the first European explorer to reach the islands of Van Diemen”s Land (now Tasmania) and New Zealand. In 1642 the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony Van Diemen sent Tasman on an expedition to explore and map out New Holland, where a lot of Dutch ships had become shipwrecked due to the Roaring Forties winds.
Where did Abel Tasman find the continent of Australia?
Although Tasman did not find the continent of Australia, he did come across the island of Tasmania, (landing at Frederick Henry Bay, named after the Chief Magistrate of the Netherlands) on the 24 th November 1642.
Who was the first European to discover Tasmania?
Seafarer, explorer and merchant Abel Janszoon Tasman was the first European to discover Tasmania and confirm Australia as an island continent. Born in the Netherlands around 1602, he was raised and educated in Lutjegast, Gronigen. After bearing him a daughter, his first wife died. He remarried in 1632 and, shortly after, went to sea.
Why did Abel Tasman name the island Van Diemens Land?
He named the island Van Diemen’s Land in honour of, the Dutch governor general. Tasman claimed the island for Holland by leaving the Dutch flag and a pole with the Dutch East Indies markings on it.