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After observing the transit of Venus in June 1769, Lieutenant James Cook (not yet a Captain) went on to search for Terra Australis Incognita, the great continent which some believed to extend round the pole. Cook was under secret orders to try to find the great unknown southern continent, and claim it for Britain. In so doing, he charted the eastern coastline of what he called "New South Wales" (now Australia), making extensive notes on the people, flora, fauna and prospective suitability for colonisation, and reported back to England.

It was shortly after observing the transit of Venus that Cook came across New Zealand, which had already been discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642. He spent some months there, charting the coastline. Nearly a year later, he set sail westward for New Holland, the eastern coast of which he later named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain.

Captain Cook was commissioned by the Royal Society in England to search the southern seas and find the "Great Southland" ("Terra Australis") that was believed to exist in the world's southern oceans somewhere. The result was that although he hadn't been the first European to discover Australia, he was the first known to have sailed along and chart most of the eastern coast of Australia - which was eventually to become the most significant for settlement.

This was most significant in history because it helped to define the boundaries of the great southern nation: as a result, the Royal Society was still not satisfied that the great Terra Australis had actually yet been found, and Cook named the land, New South Wales, believing it to resemble Wales in the UK. Two years after this journey, in 1772, Cook was sent again to discover if another great land lay east of Australia. It was on this journey that he became the first European to cross the Antarctic Circle.

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11y ago
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4y ago
I am having a research about James cook and how he came to austraila
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This is um interesting much?
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13y ago

James Cook's original mission was to observe the transit of Venus from the vantage point of Tahiti.

Cook was then under secret orders to try to find the great unknown southern continent, and claim it for Britain. In so doing, he charted the eastern coastline of what he called "New South Wales" (now Australia), making extensive notes on the people, flora, fauna and prospective suitability for colonisation, and reported back to England.

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11y ago

After observing the transit of Venus in June 1769, Lieutenant James Cook (not yet a Captain) went on to search for Terra Australis Incognita, the great continent which some believed to extend round the pole. Cook was under secret orders to try to find the great unknown southern continent, and claim it for Britain. In so doing, he charted the eastern coastline of what he called "New South Wales" (now Australia), making extensive notes on the people, flora, fauna and prospective suitability for colonisation, and reported back to England

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15y ago

James Cook's original mission was to observe the transit of Venus from the vantage point of Tahiti. He was then under orders to try to find the great unknown southern continent, and claim it for Britain. In so doing, he charted the eastern coastline of Australia, making extensive notes on the people, flora, fauna and prospective suitability for colonisation, and reported back to England.

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14y ago

On James Cook's first voyage, he was sent to observe the transit of Venus across the sun from the vantage point of Tahiti. Cook's ship, the 'Endeavour', departed England in August 1768. Cook reached Tahiti and observed the transit which occurred on 3 June 1769.

After observing the transit of Venus, Cook was under secret orders to search for Terra Australis Incognita, the great continent which some believed to extend round the pole. He was to make notes on the geography, fauna and flora, and to determine its potential uses for England, if he found such a land. Cook first came across New Zealand, which had already been discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642. He spent some months there, charting the coastline. Several months later, he continued west, reaching New Holland, later Australia.

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12y ago

James Cook did not discover Australia. The continent he explored had been discovered over 150 years before, by the Dutch and possibly even the Portuguese before then.

Cook's original mission was to observe the transit of Venus from the vantage point of Tahiti. Cook was then under secret orders to try to find the great unknown southern continent, and claim it for Britain. In so doing, he charted the eastern coastline of what he called "New South Wales" (now Australia), making extensive notes on the people, flora, fauna and prospective suitability for colonisation, and reported back to England.

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Q: Why did Captain James Cook come to Australia?
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Related questions

What ship did James Cook travel on to come to Australia?

James Cook, who was not yet a Captain but a Lieutenant, travelled to Australia in the HM Bark Endeavour.


Did convicts come with Captain Cook?

No. Lieutenant James Cook, who was not yet a captain when he first charted the east coast of Australia, was on a mission of both exploration and scientific observation. The convicts arrived in Australia eighteen years after Cook sighted the east coast.


Which country did captain James Cook come from?

England


Where did Captain James Cook come from?

Captain James Cook was born in England.


Where did Captian Cook come from?

Captain James Cook was born in Yorkshire, northern England.


Where in Sydney did Captain Cook first come ashore?

James Cook only ever came ashore at Botany Bay.


Why didn't Captain James Cook ask the Aboriginals to share Australia?

Captain James Cook and the Aborigines could not communicate as they spoke completely different languages. There was no-one aboard the Endeavour who could even come close to translating the Aboriginal language.


What year did Captain Cook come to New Zealand?

The botanical exploration of Captain James Cook in New Zealand was between 1769 and 1770. He was with two botanists Joseph Banks and Dr Solander.


How many islands did Captain Cook go to?

Captain James Cook did not actually find any countries. He was the first to chart the eastern coast of Australia, and he was the first to circumnavigate New Zealand. However, he did not find either of these countries. He was the first European to come across Hawaii, which he called the Sandwich Islands, but they do not constitute a "country".


How many more people have come to Australia after Cook discovered it?

1. James Cook did not discover Australia.2. It is impossible to know how many people have come to Australia and/or settled here since 1788, which was when the First Fleet of convicts arrived, some 18 years after Cook charted the eastern coast of Australia.


What was the reason for John James Cook to come to Australia?

There have been numerous people named John James Cook on Australia's electoral rolls (e.g. see link below), but none of them has been famous or significant to Australian history.


Who was the first British man to come to Australia?

The first British man to come to Australia was William Dampier, who first landed on Western Australia's coast on 4 January 1688.Many people believe James Cook was the first Englishman to come to Australia. He was not.