Australia was discoverew by Dutch sailor (wikipedia)
"The first known landing in Australia by Europeans was in 1606 by Dutch navigator
Willem Janszoon on Australia's northern coast.
[2] Dutch navigators explored the western and southern coasts in the 17th century and named the continent
New Holland.
Macassan trepangers visited Australia's northern coasts from around 1720, and possibly earlier. In 1770, Lieutenant
James Cook charted the east coast of Australia and claimed it for
Great Britain. "
The same James Cook discovered New Caledonia
"British explorer
James Cook was the first European to sight New Caledonia, on 4 September 1774, during his second voyage.
[14] He named it "New
Caledonia", as the northeast of the island reminded him of
Scotland.
[14] The west coast of Grande Terre was approached by the
Comte de Lapérouse in 1788, shortly before his disappearance, and the Loyalty Islands were first visited between 1793 and 1796 when Mare, Lifou, Tiga, and Ouvea were mapped by English whaler
William Raven.
[15] Raven encountered the island, then named Britania, and today known as Maré (Loyalty Is.), in November 1793.
[16] From 1796 until 1840, only a few sporadic contacts with the archipelago were recorded. About 50 American whalers left record of being in the region (Grande Terre, Loyalty Is., Walpole and Hunter) between 1793 and 1887.
[16][17] Contacts with visiting ships became more frequent after 1840, because of their interest in
sandalwood.
[12]"
France took it over in 1853
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Caledonia
