Discovering Australia

Discover Western Australia offers travellers and visitors a glimpse of the astonishing variety of attractions this vast state has to offer. From its tropical north to the cool temperate south, Western Australia is a land of stunning contrasts. Jocelyn Burt explores some of the well-known tourist destinations as well as uncovering more out-of-the-way locations. Capturing the natural beauty of the landscape, her striking photographs will inspire everyone to discover for themselves the essential and precious freedom of Western Australia.

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, with its size being only slightly less than the mainland of the United States. It got its start as a colony for prisoners, and it has some of the most poisonous and unique fauna in the world. Education, geography, climate, and culture are just a few areas into which readers will delve in this book as they journey though the Land Down Under.

This book traces the discovery of Australia’s fishes from the earliest days of taxonomy to the first part of the 20th century. It provides a unique insight into the diverse pathways by which Australia’s fish were discovered and outlines the history of early maritime explorations in Australia that collected natural history specimens. The book covers the life and work of each of the most important discoverers, and assesses their accomplishments and the limitations of their work. Discovery of Australia’s Fishes is distinctive in that a biographic approach is integrated with chronological descriptions of the discovery of the Australian fish fauna. Many of northern Australia’s fishes are found in parts of the Indian and western Pacific oceans. The book covers the work of collectors who travelled outside Australia, together with that of the British and European zoologists who received and described their collections. The account ceases at 1930, the year the first modern checklist of Australian fishes was published. 2012 Whitley Award Commendation for Historical Zoology.

Notes on early voyagers to southern seas & claimants to sighting Australia; list of 24 maps from 10c. to 1798 with notes Schouten & Le Maire (1616) compared inhabitants of New Guinea as superior to Aborigines; Abel Tasman (1642-4) names given by him, quotes from journal, map; W. Dampier (1688) impressions of the land, inhabitants, appearance, food supplies, weapons; second visit (1699), encounter with natives; Cooks discoveries (1770); Marion du Fresne (1772) arrived Tasmania; p.61-75; Cooks second & third voyages, copies of 10 letters; carved & stained shield from Botany Bay.