1606: An Epic Adventure by Evan McHugh (2006)

Until 1606, Australia - the Great South Land - was a mystery to Europeans. When Dutchman Willem Janszoon, captain of the Duyfken, landed at Cape York 400 years ago he thought he was in New Guinea. By the time Matthew Flinders' charts were published in 1814, Australia had emerged on the map and in name. This gripping book tells the stories of the seafaring explorers, shipwrecks, and mutinies that followed Janszoon, including the voyages of Torres and la Perouse, Dampier, Cook, and D'Entrecasteaux. These are tales of adventure, discovery, and navigational triumph in the face of hardship, starvation, and disaster at the far end of the world.

Evan McHugh is a writer, journalist, and sailor. He is the author of Outback Heroes, Shipwrecks: Australia's Greatest Maritime Disasters, and Local Heroes. He lives in Sydney.