New Holland (Terra Australia)
Free from, Australian History
New Holland /njuː ˈhɒlənd/ is the name that replaced Terra Australis Incognita to describe the Australian continent after the Dutch discoveries of Cape York Peninsula (1602) and W.A. in 1616. After Captain James Cook (q.v.) took possession of eastern Australia in 1770, the part known as New Holland was confined to the western half of the continent. In 1829, when the Swan River Colony was settled, the area was still known as the 'Western coast of New Holland,' but 'Western Australia' had already become the common term by 1831.[1]
References
- Dictionary of Australian History, By John Larkins, 1980, P.170.
