The Europeans Arrive - the Portuguese and the Dutch

The first mariners from Europe to successfully round the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and sail across the Indian Ocean - were Portuguese. That was in 1497, with the four vessels under the command of Vasco da Gama. This success marked the beginning of the establishment of the Portuguese Empire. As early as 1516 the Portuguese were trading with the people of what is now Timor Leste for sandalwood and spices. Dili was founded in 1520 and the Portuguese remained there until 1975 when they quickly withdrew, leaving a power vacuum which led to civil war. Portuguese records relating to their seafaring activities in the area, at least before 1725, are sparse. The fact that the Portuguese had established a trading centre only 720 kms from the Australian coast around 100 years before the Dutch begs the question, ‘Were the Portuguese the first Europeans to sight Australia?’ The evidence is only circumstantial, but there are some people who believe that it was not the Dutch who were the first Europeans to visit these shores. Then again, there are those who speculate that the Chinese were here even earlier, in the 1400s. What do you think?