History of Oceania

What year did Captain James Cook claim Australia for Britain?

Captain James Cook did not claim Australia for Britain. The first European to claim Australia for a European power was the Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon, who landed on the western coast of Cape York Peninsula in 1606 and claimed the land for the Dutch East India Company. Later, in 1770, Captain James Cook landed on the east coast of Australia and claimed the eastern coast for Britain.