History >  Abel Tasman

Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman 'discovered' Tasmania in 1642 (Aborigines had been living on the island for thousands of years).

On 24 November 1642 Abel Tasman sighted the west coast of Tasmania, north of Macquarie Harbour. He named his discovery Van Diemen's Land after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.