The charts and coastal views of Captain Cook’s voyages
Of course, the famous British expeditionary voyages led by Cook were only voyages of discovery for the Europeans far from their homes – they came across a land and people with a long history of place names. We’re now seeing some of the Tasmanian Aboriginal place names making their way onto our maps and consciousnesses, and these new syllables are now living places alongside the newer European names.
On Cook’s third voyage in January 1777, the crew of the Resolution charted the southeast of Van Diemen’s Land and interacted with the Tasmanian Aboriginal inhabitants of the land. Several of the names are on the map are still in use today. Adventure Bay on Bruny Island is notable as the site where there first specimen of Eucalyptus to be formally described by European science, albeit years later in a London museum.
The David Rumsey Map Collection has digitised a map of instantly recognisable to those who live in this lovely part of the world.
You can view some of the details and see how they match up to the modern map.
Scale 1 : 740,000
Engraved nautical chart: Relief shown pictorially; depths shown by soundings. “5”.
From :
Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. Performed under the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke and Gore, in His Majesty’s ships the Resolution and Discovery , in the years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 and 1780. In three volumes. Vol. I. and II. written by Captain James Cook, F.R.S. Vol. III. by Captain James King, LL.D. and F.R.S. … The second edition. (with Atlas) London: Printed by H. Hughs, For G. Nicol, Bookseller to his Majesty, in the Strand; and T. Cadell, in the Strand. M.DCC.LXXXV.
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