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Great South Land: How Dutch Sailors found Australia and an English Pirate almost beat Captain Cook ...
How Dutch sailors discovered New Holland and left Australia to a British pirate.
For many, the colonial story of Australia starts with Captain Cook's discovery of the east coast in 1770, but it was some 164 years before his historic voyage that European mariners began their romance with the immensity of the Australian continent. Between 1606 and 1688, while the British had their hands full with the Gunpowder Plot and the English Civil War, it was highly skilled Dutch seafarers who, by design, chance or shipwreck, discovered and mapped the majority of the vast, unknown waters and land masses in the Indian and Southern Oceans.
This is the setting that sees Rob Mundle back on the water with another sweeping and powerful account of Australian maritime history. It is the story of 17th-century European mariners - sailors, adventurers and explorers - who became transfixed by the idea of the existence of a Great South Land: 'Terra Australis Incognita'.
Rob takes you aboard the tiny ship, Duyfken, in 1606 when Dutch navigator and explorer, Willem Janszoon, and his 20-man crew became the first Europeans to discover Australia on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the decades that followed, more Dutch mariners, like Hartog, Tasman, and Janszoon (for a second time), discovered and mapped the majority of the coast of what would become Australia.
Yet, incredibly, the Dutch made no effort to lay claim to it, or establish any settlements. This process began with British explorer and former pirate William Dampier on the west coast in 1688, and by the time Captain Cook arrived in 1770, all that was to be done was chart the east coast and claim what the Dutch had discovered.
For many, the colonial story of Australia starts with Captain Cook's discovery of the east coast in 1770, but it was some 164 years before his historic voyage that European mariners began their romance with the immensity of the Australian continent. Between 1606 and 1688, while the British had their hands full with the Gunpowder Plot and the English Civil War, it was highly skilled Dutch seafarers who, by design, chance or shipwreck, discovered and mapped the majority of the vast, unknown waters and land masses in the Indian and Southern Oceans.
This is the setting that sees Rob Mundle back on the water with another sweeping and powerful account of Australian maritime history. It is the story of 17th-century European mariners - sailors, adventurers and explorers - who became transfixed by the idea of the existence of a Great South Land: 'Terra Australis Incognita'.
Rob takes you aboard the tiny ship, Duyfken, in 1606 when Dutch navigator and explorer, Willem Janszoon, and his 20-man crew became the first Europeans to discover Australia on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the decades that followed, more Dutch mariners, like Hartog, Tasman, and Janszoon (for a second time), discovered and mapped the majority of the coast of what would become Australia.
Yet, incredibly, the Dutch made no effort to lay claim to it, or establish any settlements. This process began with British explorer and former pirate William Dampier on the west coast in 1688, and by the time Captain Cook arrived in 1770, all that was to be done was chart the east coast and claim what the Dutch had discovered.
351 pages, Hardcover
Published October 25, 2015
27 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Rob Mundle
31 books33 followersRob Mundle is the author of the highly acclaimed international bestseller Fatal Storm. He has written six other books, including the bestselling Sir James Hardy: An Adventurous Life, Alan Bond’s authorised biography,Bond, and Life at the Extreme, the official record of the 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race round the world. He lives in Main Beach, Queensland.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 23, 2018
Great story telling about the first Europeans to see Australia.
One little criticism, don't use google translate to translate Dutch names in to English ;-)
One little criticism, don't use google translate to translate Dutch names in to English ;-)
March 10, 2017
Excellent book! Keen to read more Rob Mundle
November 24, 2018
Brilliant - I knew the Dutch and Spanish has explored Australia and certainly had known of Dampier but this book really fills in the gaps. What an amazing life Dampier had and how different Australia would be today if the Dutch had been less economically focused.
Read
January 18, 2020Fascinating. At times, hard going (I had to borrow it 3 times from the library to get it finished). But a good read. Well researched, IMHO.
I did a lot of looking things up on Google - Sailing/ship terminology, geography. Even kings & queens of England, to find relevant one.
This all added to the time it took to read. And I was reading other books at the same time.
It's a shame Australian students don't learn more about their own history at school.
I did a lot of looking things up on Google - Sailing/ship terminology, geography. Even kings & queens of England, to find relevant one.
This all added to the time it took to read. And I was reading other books at the same time.
It's a shame Australian students don't learn more about their own history at school.
October 7, 2023
Guess who “discovered” Australia? SPOILER ALERT No, it wasn’t Captain Cook. Turns out the Dutch were there a heck of a lot earlier than that. They just weren’t that into the place. Great and readable story of the early discoveries of what is now called Australia. And if you haven’t read Rob Mundle before, read this book. Like me, you will want to read his other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2020
Mundle does it again
Another fantastic read from Rob Mundle his ability to put the reader on the deck is a true gift .His books give the feeling that you are a part of history and can almost feel the sea spray on your face.
Another fantastic read from Rob Mundle his ability to put the reader on the deck is a true gift .His books give the feeling that you are a part of history and can almost feel the sea spray on your face.
December 12, 2017
Once again Mundle makes history engaging and fascinating for all non-sailors. Another in his excellent collection of Australia’s - and indeed the region’s - early history. Highly recommended!
February 19, 2018
Absolutely superb book, simply loved it.
December 29, 2018
A particularly interesting piece of world history, told an interesting and engaging way. Really enjoyed it.
December 18, 2025
Super interesting. Not per se fun but just very interesting history of how Australia was discovered.
April 12, 2016
It’s hard to conceive that little over 200 years ago, the existence of Australia was a mere hypothesis on the world map – a place deemed by explorers as “Terra Australias Incognita” – “The unknown land of the South”.
But did you know that over 200 years before the birth of Christ, the Ancient Egyptians were perhaps the first maritime explorers to come close to discovering mainland Australia and may have made contact with the inhabitants of certain surrounding islands?
I didn’t. And this, and many more amazing tidbits were gleaned reading Mundle’s “Great South Land”.
Mundle, an avid life long mariner and author of 14 naval themed histories, knows his way around a nautical tale. While lacking the narrative punch and detail of equally prolific fellow Aussie hisorian, Peter Fitzsimmons, this is still a satisfying work which adequately covers the centenary of exploration prior to British settlement of the East Coast in 1770.
Mundle primarily focuses on the exploits and misadventures of the Dutch traders who inadvertendly stumbled upon this Southern Land either by accident or naval misfortune.
The West Coast of Australia, Mundle describes, is “a maritime graveyard” and one of the more famous examples is the excellently recounted story of the Batavia – one of histories most terrible and grisly mutinies.
All of the stories Mundle recounts are fascinating in their own right and give a great overview of this little mentioned period of European exploration. It’s an accessible work which gives the reader a good introductory point to research any of the individual explorers or topics in more detail.
I want to read more of Mundle in the future, and hope he explores some of his material here in greater detail.
But did you know that over 200 years before the birth of Christ, the Ancient Egyptians were perhaps the first maritime explorers to come close to discovering mainland Australia and may have made contact with the inhabitants of certain surrounding islands?
I didn’t. And this, and many more amazing tidbits were gleaned reading Mundle’s “Great South Land”.
Mundle, an avid life long mariner and author of 14 naval themed histories, knows his way around a nautical tale. While lacking the narrative punch and detail of equally prolific fellow Aussie hisorian, Peter Fitzsimmons, this is still a satisfying work which adequately covers the centenary of exploration prior to British settlement of the East Coast in 1770.
Mundle primarily focuses on the exploits and misadventures of the Dutch traders who inadvertendly stumbled upon this Southern Land either by accident or naval misfortune.
The West Coast of Australia, Mundle describes, is “a maritime graveyard” and one of the more famous examples is the excellently recounted story of the Batavia – one of histories most terrible and grisly mutinies.
All of the stories Mundle recounts are fascinating in their own right and give a great overview of this little mentioned period of European exploration. It’s an accessible work which gives the reader a good introductory point to research any of the individual explorers or topics in more detail.
I want to read more of Mundle in the future, and hope he explores some of his material here in greater detail.
March 11, 2016
4.5 would be a better rating. I really liked this. So much information on the early exploration of Australia. It certainly wasn't easy being an explorer/pirate/privateer when your ship was falling apart.
August 31, 2016
Really interesting
Read
September 13, 2016Very interesting but probably a bit too 'nautical tech' for me! I learned quite a bit!
December 25, 2015
An imaginative portrayal of an aspect of a bygone era making its presence felt today
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews