28th November, 1605 Willem Yanszoon sailed off to Australia

On the 28th of November, 1605 Dutch navigator Willem Yanszoon sailed towards Australia.Fitted to travel, Willem came out in a small boat Bantam «Duyfken» (means "Dovelet"). The ship crossed central part of the Arafura Sea in the south-east direction, before the team could see the ground. As it turned out, this was the west coast of Cape York Peninsula (you can see it, if you study the map of Australia and find the peninsula in the north of Queensland.)

On 26th of February, 1606 they stepped off by the river Pennefazer what is on the modern map just north of the city Ueyp. It was the first official landing of Europeans on the Australian continent. Explorers immediately mapped this land.

Further the ship went to the south, following along the deserted coast. But in June 1606 it was decided to turn the ship from Cape Kervaire to the north. In the Gulf of Albatross sailors ruffled with local people, as a result of which both sides had casualties. Then explorers continued to sail to the north. Altogether travelers covered the distance of 350 km along the coast of Cape York Peninsula, which Yanszoon took for the part of New Guinea.

It is noteworthy that during this expedition sailors made an accurate map of the newly discovered lands. Surprisingly, the first map of Australia has survived to the present day. Following further north to the Torres Strait, the Dutch sailors opened another set of small islands and reefs that are marked on the map as "terrible."