Enlightenment · Oceania · Exploration
1699
William Dampier Explores Western Australia
1699
The English buccaneer-turned-naval captain William Dampier, commanding HMS Roebuck, surveyed parts of the coast of New Holland and New Guinea. His detailed descriptions of Aboriginal people, mangrove forests, and curious marsupials would eventually influence the planning of Captain Cook's later voyages. Scientific exploration had begun supplementing plunder, and the Enlightenment habit of careful observation was reaching even the farthest shores.
In context
Also in 1699 (2 other events on record)
- Treaty of Karlowitz · Middle East · Politics
- Guru Gobind Singh Founds the Khalsa · South Asia · Religion
Before and after in Oceania
Before and after in Exploration
Era
Enlightenment (1651–1800), one of 696 events from that era on Saeculum.