Since Australia is on this map from the 1500s, why did it take so long for any Europeans to settle there...

Since Australia is on this map from the 1500s, why did it take so long for any Europeans to settle there? Aren't there habitable non-desert areas by the coast?

You see that flying sea dragon patrolling the coast, right?

why is britain and netherlands connected?

just aesthetic preference ... ?

They couldn't handle the bantz

Probably because in the green areas of Australia it's still hot as fuck and any explorers who landed there were just like fuck this and left

Ned Kelly shot at the boats

they foresaw the glorious revolution and the domination of british politics by the dutch

The assumption of the "Terra Incognita Australis" existed already back then. the problem was that there was still the "Terra Incognita Borealis" to conquer and explore and, really, they assumed I was little more than speculation.

Underrated post

They didn't find the east coast, which was more readily inhabitable.

They fucked off because it was already full. It's like you don't know anything about Australia.

kek'd

bump

The existence of the great southern continent was based solely on balance of landmasses.

Only a retard would colonize a fucking giant desert.

think terminator;
"ill be back"

get u later nigger
india first china second

think of the empire as blade and au that vampire he lets go, come back for you later niggguhhh

the outback is pretty noice

American geographical education does it again!!

Terre Australis is Antarctica, dumb monkeys
Australia is the big green island at the bottom left of the Americas

BECAUSE BRITAIN USED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE MAINLAND BY WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS "DOGGERLAND"; "DOGGERLAND" WAS EITHER NATURALLY, OR ARTIFICIALLY, SUBMERGED IN CIRCA SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

NO; THE "GREEN" LANDMASS IS NEW GUINEA; AUSTRALIA IS FUSED WITH ANTARCTICA ON THAT MAP FOR SOME REASON WHICH I IGNORE.

>DOGGERLAND
Huh, well isn't that something.

The existance of Terra Australis was a theoretical assumption. The better question is why there was so very little interest in exploring all that area, and the eventual discoveries happened by accident, as in Torres literally drifting away into what is now the Torres strait, and the dutch sailing fast down low latitudes from Cape of Good Hope following the roaring 40s before turning north towards Java and stumbling upon western Australia.