The Discovery of Australia

The Discovery of Australia as Commonly taught:

In 1606 the Dutch land on Australia. The Captain Cook “discovery” was of the East Coast

However, this map from the 1540s shows that the Portugeuse found Australia earlier

So if the Portuguese found Australia in the 1540’s why didn’t they get Credit for it?

Answer: they often kept new discoveries a secret as a strategic advantage against other countries.

And the building with the maps of the Australia discoveries was destroyed in an earthquake in the mid 1700’s. Well before Captain Cook’s more publicized discovery of Australia