EXPLORATION OF AUSTEALIA. 



355 



island of Van Diemen's Land, which now bears his name. He had, however, 

 failed to determine its insular character. 



It was reserved for Cook to lead the way in the exploration of the east Austra- 

 lian seaboard, and to confirm the anticipations made by Desbrosses on the chart 

 accompanying his historical work on the voyages of discovery in the Austral Seas.* 

 In 1770, Cook, after discovering Botany Bay, sailed northwards between the 

 mainland and the Great Barrier Reef, and then penetrated into Torres Strait, thus 

 at last placing beyond doubt the insular character both of New Guinea and 

 Australia. 



Fig. 153. — Chief Routes of Australian Explorers. 

 Scale 1 : 40,000.000. 



Lasb cf breenwich 



155° 



900 Miles. 



But it was stiU uncertain whether Tasmania was the south-eastern promontory 

 of the Austral mainland, and numerous navigators visited this island and cast 

 anchor in its harbours before the question was decided by Bass, who first sailed 

 through the strait now bearing his name. This event occurred in 1798, ten years 

 after the foundation of the first British colony on the coast of New South Wales. 

 The exploration of the interior had also commenced by short expeditions between 

 the seaboard and the east slopes of the Blue Mountains, but these ramparts were 

 not crossed till the year 1818, when some stockbreeders were driven by a long 

 drought to seek fresh pastures farther inland. 



* Histoire des Navigations aux Terres Australes. 



