London, December 01, 2025
Captain James Cook first sighted and charted the east coast of Australia in April 1770, landed at Botany Bay on April 29, and formally claimed the eastern coastline for Great Britain on August 22, 1770, establishing the basis for British colonization.
Key Events of the Voyage
On April 19, 1770, Captain James Cook aboard the HMS Endeavour made the first recorded European sighting of Australia’s east coast at what is now Point Hicks. Ten days later, on April 29, Cook and his crew landed at Botany Bay, marking one of the earliest European contacts with Aboriginal Australians.
Claiming the Land
After navigating and charting the coastline northward, Cook arrived at Possession Island near northern Australia. There, on August 22, 1770, he officially claimed the entire eastern coast for Great Britain in a formal act that symbolized imperial expansion despite the absence of immediate settlement.
Encounters with Indigenous Peoples
Cook’s initial landing saw limited and tense interaction with Aboriginal Australians, including an incident that wounded one indigenous warrior. These encounters were among the first documented between Europeans and Indigenous peoples along this coast, highlighting the complex and often fraught nature of early contact.
Scientific Mission and Legacy
Accompanying Cook were naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, who collected valuable botanical specimens, contributing to the scientific outcomes of the expedition. While Cook’s voyage was primarily exploratory and scientific, it set the stage for subsequent British colonization.
Foundation for Colonization
Though Cook’s claim marked a turning point, permanent British settlement did not occur until the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, nearly 18 years later. The First Fleet established a penal colony at Sydney Cove rather than Botany Bay, expanding Britain’s presence and control in the region.
This voyage remains a critical episode in the history of European expansion, underpinning Australia’s transformation from a continent inhabited by Indigenous peoples to a British colony with profound geopolitical and cultural consequences.