What if you sailed for months across the ocean and discovered a land full of animals that hopped like giant rabbits?

Captain Cook Sets Sail for Adventure!

The incredible moment a brave explorer first spotted Australia

Captain Cook first spotted Australia on April 28, 1770, after an epic ocean voyage!

Picture this: It's April 28, 1770, and a wooden ship called the Endeavour is bobbing on the ocean waves. On board is Captain James Cook, one of history's greatest explorers!

After sailing for MONTHS across the Pacific Ocean, something amazing happened. A sailor shouted from up high in the ship's rigging — LAND! They had spotted the eastern coast of Australia, a place no European had ever seen before!

Captain Cook wasn't always a famous explorer. He grew up as a farm boy in England and worked in a grocery store! But he LOVED the sea and taught himself math and navigation by candlelight. How cool is that?

When the Endeavour landed at a beautiful bay, the crew found SO many incredible plants that they named it Botany Bay (botany means the study of plants!). Scientists on the ship discovered plants and animals they'd never seen before — like kangaroos! Can you imagine seeing a kangaroo hop by for the very first time?

💡 Captain Cook's crew was so confused by kangaroos that they wrote them down as 'large jumping mice' at first!