Could Australia have been French?

Could Australia really have been French? James Cook wasn’t the only European interested in Australia. Since the late 1700s numerous well-equipped French expeditions visited our shores, often causing concern and anxiety among British authorities. But what were the French really interested in? Did they have territorial ambitions here? Danielle Clode explores the history of French exploration in Australia and discovers that while the English may have claimed possession of our continent, for many years it was French scientists who “understood” Australia best. Illustrated with some of the beautiful plates created by the French scientists and artists after their voyages and reproduced in her award winning book Voyages to the South Seas.

Topics:

• Australian history (exploration and early settlement)
• French history (Revolution and Enlightenment)
• Maritime exploration
• Science and scientists
• Natural history