Australia was discovered by

James Cook is credited with the European discovery of Australia's eastern coast in 1770 during his first Pacific voyage. While Indigenous Australians had inhabited the continent for over 50,000 years and Dutch explorers had earlier visited parts of the northern and western coasts, Cook's expedition mapped the eastern coastline and claimed it for Britain. The other Cook names listed are unrelated - Thomas Cook founded a travel agency, and Alastair Cook is a modern cricketer.