New Holland or Australia?

Source: www.nndb.com The British explorer, James Cook made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean and was the first to discover the Australian coastline. He was also the first to circle New Zealand. In the year 1768, he set sail from England for the Pacific. On 29th April, Cook reached the shores of mainland Australia. He named the area as Botany Bay. On 22nd August, he landed on Possession Island which he claimed as being under British territory. He then reached ‘New Holland’ which in present times is called ‘Australia’. Cook was killed in a fight with the Hawaiians in 1779 during his third voyage to the Pacific. But it was only due to him that so much was known about Australia and the nearby islands. A great exploration indeed!