Mendonca Discovers Australia
In 1518 King Manoel of Portugal received information that Magellan was about to sail and was worried about the Spanish competition in the east indies. Magellan sailed in September 1519 and the Portuguese navy was ordered to intercept him. One of the captains of an armada sent to Goa was Cristavao de Mendonca. Mendonca was ordered to search for Magellan in the south east, towards Australia, the so-called Isles of Gold.
Mendonca had Pedro Eanes as second in command and had three caravels. First he had to help fight the Mir at Pacem, in 1521 sails to Pedir, then moved on to Malacca. Mendonca would have sailed to the North Coast of Australia, then follow it east and south to ambush Magellan supposedly coming the other way from the Horn. Mendonca would have have to cross the line of demarcation as set out by the treaty of tordesillas between the Spanish and Portuguese.
Mendonca sailed east across the Arafura Sea, reached Cape York, went through Torres Strait, entering the Pacific Ocean. He would have been confused because the coast of Australia veered South, and the maps he had would have had it going south east or more east. He followed the opposite direction to that which Cook would follow 200 plus years later. Researcher McIntyre purports that the Dieppe maps were charted by Mendonca and are an accurate survey by him of the east coast as far as Warnambool in Victoria.
Some historians say the relics ,artefacts, and mysteries such as the Geelong Keys and the Mahogany Ship point to a European presence before british colonisation. These finds have not been authenticated and must be regarded as hearsay rather than concrete evidence. Other more concrete artefacts are the remains of a fort at Bittangebee Bay in New South Wales and a portuguese cannon on Carronade Island in Western Australia.
Mendonca Voyage to Australia Resources
Mendonca voyage to australia - google earth
Mendonca discovers the east coast of Australia - google maps
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