Captain James Cook first sighted the east coast of Australia on 19 April 1770 (ship’s log date), and went ashore at Botany Bay on 29 April 1770, during his first Pacific voyage.

Quick Scoop: Key Dates

  • 19 April 1770 – Cook’s ship Endeavour sighted the south‑east coast of Australia, near what is now called Point Hicks.
  • Some historians note that because of the way the crew crossed time zones, this “19 April” log date corresponds to 20 April 1770 on the modern calendar.
  • 29 April 1770 – Cook and his crew made their first landing at what is now Botany Bay, near present‑day Sydney.
  • 22 August 1770 – Cook claimed the entire east coast for Britain, naming it New South Wales.

So when people ask “when did Captain Cook discover Australia?” , the usual school‑book style answer is:

He sighted Australia on 19 April 1770 and landed at Botany Bay on 29 April 1770, claiming the east coast later that year.

A Bit Of Story

Cook wasn’t on a random cruise; he was officially sent to observe the Transit of Venus, then secretly ordered to search for the fabled “Great South Land.” After Tahiti, he sailed south and west, mapping New Zealand, then pushed west until his crew finally saw the long, low coastline of eastern Australia in April 1770.

They followed the coast north, stopping first at Botany Bay, where the rich plant life excited ship’s botanist Joseph Banks. Over several months they mapped major stretches of the east coast before Cook went ashore on Possession Island and claimed the region as New South Wales for Britain.

Why “Discovery” Is Controversial

Modern historians and many Australians now question the old textbook phrase that Cook “discovered” Australia.

  • Indigenous Australians had lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years before Cook.
  • European sailors from Portugal and the Netherlands had already charted and landed on parts of northern and western Australia in the 1600s.

Because of that, it’s more accurate to say Cook made the first recorded European voyage to the east coast of Australia and claimed it for Britain , rather than that he “discovered” the continent itself.

Mini FAQ

Q: So what single date should I remember for exams?

  • Most school materials accept 19 April 1770 as the date he “discovered” (sighted) eastern Australia, with 29 April 1770 for the first landing.

Q: What did he name the place?

  • He eventually named the whole east coast New South Wales when he claimed it on 22 August 1770.

TL;DR:
Captain Cook “discovered” (first sighted) the east coast of Australia on 19 April 1770 and went ashore at Botany Bay on 29 April 1770, later claiming the region as New South Wales for Britain.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.