The first Europeans to gain a really strong foothold in the Pacific Ocean were the Dutch. Their main concern was to build up their trade with China. However, Dutch explorers became aware that there was a large land in the southern Pacific, which they called New Holland.

Despite this, it was the British who claimed and colonised the huge continent and called it Australia. Why did the British do this?
Look at the background and the sources in this case study and see what you can discover about their motives.