Ever since classical times, when men first imagined a great continent in the southern hemisphere, the idea of Terra Australis has kept a firm hold on European imaginations. This volume gives a comprehensive history of the various theories and speculations that occupied the minds of Europeans, and describes the expeditions and discoveries achieved by British, Portuguese and Dutch explorers. The Dieppe maps, which first marked the continent of Australia as a Portuguese discovery, are reproduced in their entirety for the first time. Two final chapters cover the reality of New South Wales and the emergence of the continent.