The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea

This thorough study follows the earliest Portuguese and Spanish voyages that brushed the coasts of Australia and New Guinea between 1492 and 1606. Drawing on a wide range of archival sources, the author reconstructs how explorers such as Prince Henry’s fleet, Magellan, and the Trinidad ventured into the unknown southern seas. The narrative blends vivid descriptions of shipboard life with careful analysis of the scant clues these mariners left on old charts.

Interleaved with the text are more than thirty detailed illustrations and coloured maps, from the first drawing of a wallaby to the earliest depictions of the Spice Islands and Jave‑la‑Grande. Listeners can hear the excitement of uncovering forgotten place names, volatile volcanoes, and exotic wildlife that first appeared on European paper. By the end of the first act, the book sets the stage for a broader reassessment of how the southern continent entered the world’s geographic imagination.