What would YOU do if you discovered a land filled with animals that hop instead of run and have pouches on their bellies?

Captain Cook Sets Sail on an Epic Australian Adventure!

The day a brave explorer became the first European to step foot on Australia's east coast

Captain Cook landed in Australia on April 28, 1770, and found SO many plants he named it Botany Bay!

Imagine sailing for months across a vast, mysterious ocean, not knowing what you might find. That's exactly what Captain James Cook did! On April 28, 1770, his ship the HMS Endeavour finally spotted land after an incredible journey across the Pacific Ocean.

Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to land on Australia's east coast at a place called Botany Bay. Why that funny name? Because the scientists on board went absolutely bonkers over all the amazing plants they found there! They collected so many cool specimens that Cook named the bay after the study of plants — botany!

Did you know Cook wasn't even supposed to explore Australia? His secret mission was to find a mysterious southern continent that people only dreamed existed. But what he found was even better — a land filled with unique animals like kangaroos and platypuses that Europeans had never seen before!

The Aboriginal people had been living in Australia for over 65,000 years before Cook arrived. They already knew all about this amazing land and its incredible wildlife.

💡 When Cook's crew first saw a kangaroo, they had absolutely no idea what it was — they'd never seen any animal hop like that before!