Did Captain Cook plant a flag on Australian soil?

Answer 1

James Cook did not raise the British flag on the mainland of Australia. He planted the flag on Possession Island in Torres Strait on 22 August 1770, claiming the eastern coastline of Australia for Great Britain.

Answer 2

Yes. James Cook (not a captain at this stage) first set foot on the eastern coast of Australia in April 1770. He also spent six weeks on the Australian mainland after his ship, the Endeavour, was damaged on the Great Barrier Reef near the present-day town of Cooktown.

Answer 3

Yes he did. Possession Island lies in a narrow shallow channel in Torres Strait off the coast of present day Queensland but it was not the Union Jack! The Union Jack dates to 1801 and the union of England, Scotland and N.Ireland. Informed opinion from RN say it was probably the Red Ensign the expedition was sailing under that he planted.