Argues that in 1522 - a century before the Dutch and 250 years before Captain Cook - the Portuguese discovered and mapped parts of Australia and New Zealand. Draws from primary and secondary historical sources, archaeological evidence and stories handed down through Aboriginal oral tradition.

One of the great historical mysteries of recent centuries has to do with the discovery of Australia and New Zealand before the 17th century. Did 16th century Portuguese navigators reach the shores of these two countries and chart them? This book catalogues all major attempts over the last 500 years to answer these questions.

For more than two hundred years, scholars and amateurs alike have wrestled with the problem -- did 16th century Portuguese navigators sail down the east coast of Australia, and along the shores of New Zealand? Employing endless speculation, all kinds of people have proposed all kinds of theories, but not one ever resulted in a resolution. This book is different. Forsaking all speculation and guesswork, it finally puts the matter to rest beyond all reasonable doubt.

In our mobile world, travel memoirs are a staple. And books about prayer line the shelves of readers who seek to grow spiritually through the timeless practice of conversing with God. But books combining travel with prayer are rare, and it is within this void that Daniel Pawley’s masterful memoir of traveling the world, with prayer as its backdrop, establishes itself as an essential companion to both subjects. Starting with a travel/prayer template bequeathed in childhood by his parents, Pawley then recalls life-altering experiences as an adult in fifty locations spread across six continents, each illuminated by the soulful prayers of ancient and modern seekers. Inspired stops in places like exotic Bali and raucous Morocco, as well as pain-framed settings such as Chernobyl and Auschwitz, combine to weave a tapestry seen more vibrantly in prayer’s revealing light. The result is a narrative of prayer’s mysterious ability to provide hope and stabilizing faith in a world threatened by hate, division, and unbelief.

For more than 200 years, scholars and amateurs alike have wrestled with the problem -- did sixteenth century Portuguese navigators sail down the east coast of Australia and along the shores of New Zealand, charting the coastlines as they went? Employing endless speculation, all kinds of people have proposed all kinds of theories, not one of which resulted in a resolution over those two centuries. This book is different. Forsaking the speculation and guesswork model, it finally lays the matter to rest beyond all reasonable doubt

In this comprehensive study, Kenneth Morgan provides an authoritative account of European exploration and discovery in Australia. The book presents a detailed chronological overview of European interests in the Australian continent, from initial speculations about the 'Great Southern Land' to the major hydrographic expeditions of the 19th century. In particular, he analyses the early crossings of the Dutch in the 17th century, the exploits of English 'buccaneer adventurer' William Dampier, the famous voyages of James Cook and Matthew Flinders, and the little-known French annexation of Australia in 1772. Introducing new findings and drawing on the latest in historiographical research, this book situates developments in navigation, nautical astronomy and cartography within the broader contexts of imperial, colonial, and maritime history.

This true life adventure story is the saga of four ordinary Englishmen—a pair of banished, first-time petty thieves and a couple chosen to be settlers—who charted a course that led them to help build and mould an infant country on the remotest continent in the known world. Two of their offspring united to continue the adventure. Vivid first-hand accounts have been pried from the daily, hand-written journals and writings of first-class passengers, crew, and one of the convicts aboard the small wooden sailing ships, as they battled winter storms on the treacherous North Atlantic and Southern Oceans and endured scorching doldrums in the equatorial region. Mutinies, inventions, discoveries, and wars have been chronicled to provide a backdrop of the prevailing international, societal, and interpersonal relationships of the period. Characters from history’s stage weave their way through these pages—figures including James Cook, Horatio Nelson, Robert Emmet, Jonathan Swift, William Bligh, Lachlan Macquarie, Samuel Marsden, Walter Lawry, Alfred Howitt, and some long-forgotten souls like the tragic Margaret Sullivan. Artwork of the period is included to help stimulate the imagination and help place the reader beside the characters as they toiled to eke out an existence. The primary objective of this biography is a quest to achieve a broader, deeper understanding and appreciation of the typical person—including their struggles, challenges, and contributions—in early colonial New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. The goal is to further the development of a robust comprehension of the Life and Times that these Six Australian Pioneers experienced, as well, the millions of other pioneers just like them. This book will also appeal to those with an interest in eighteenth and nineteenth-century Australian, European, and New Zealand history; late eighteenth-century ocean voyages; and those with an interest in artwork of the period.