Dampier referred to Australia as "New Holland". "New Holland" appears to have been the name given by Abel Tasman. Willem Janszoon was the first European visitor and he called the place "Nieu Zeland". So it seems that all the early exploration was done by the Dutch, long before Dampier, but it was the English who recognised the potential for the country (as a dumping ground for their rejects). Even then, the original name was only changed to "Australia" in 1824 in response to a recommendation by Matthew Flinders.
-- Edited by dorian on Saturday 4th of January 2014 09:14:03 AM
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