On This Day June 7, 1825

Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) officially separates from New South Wales.

Tasmania was first discovered by Abel Tasman on 24 November 1642. Tasman discovered the previously unknown island on his voyage past the "Great South Land", or "New Holland", as the Dutch called Australia. He named it "Antony Van Diemen's Land" in honour of the High Magistrate, or Governor-General of Batavia.

When the First Fleet arrived in 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip claimed the entire eastern coast for the British Empire, including Tasmania, though it was not yet proven to be separate from the mainland. In January 1799 Bass and Flinders completed their circumnavigation of Tasmania, proving it to be an island. Tasmania was settled as a separate colony in 1803, but continued to be administered by the Governor of New South Wales. On 7 June 1825, Van Diemen's Land was separated administratively from New South Wales, and Hobart Town was declared the capital of the colony. There remains some conflict regarding the date, as some sources state this as occurring on 14 June 1825.

On This Day April 24, 1804

The first cemetery is established in the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, Australia.

The first European explorer to report the existence of what is now called Tasmania was Dutch seaman Abel Janszoon Tasman, of the Dutch East India Company. In November 1642, he discovered a previously unknown island on his voyage past the "Great South Land", or "New Holland", as the Dutch called Australia. He named it "Antony Van Diemen's Land" in honour of the High Magistrate, or Governor-General of Batavia.

Hobart is the capital city of Tasmania, Australia, and is the second oldest city in Australia, with Sydney being the oldest. The city began as a penal colony at Risdon Cove on the Derwent River in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 to offset British concerns over the presence of French explorers. On 24 April 1804, the first cemetery was established on Van Diemen's Land. Named St David's Cemetery, it has since been transformed into St David's Park.

On This Day March 20, 1602.

The Dutch East India company, which was indirectly responsible for many discoveries in the Pacific, is formed.

The Dutch East India Company, also known as the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC, was established on 20 March 1602, when the Estates-General of the Netherlands granted it a monopoly to trade from the Cape of Good Hope to the Straits of Magellan. It was the first multinational corporation in the world and it was the first company to issue stocks. The company traded throughout Asia, exploring and establishing new routes through to the Asian countries and Pacific colonies for the sole intent of expediting trade to that region. The company operated for around 200 years, trading spices like nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and pepper, and other consumer products like tea, silk and chinese porcelain. In the process, they touched on the coast of Australia, which they called New Holland, drawing rough charts to indicate the western and northern coasts, though the south and east remained largely unknown.

The Australian state of Tasmania owes its discovery to the Dutch East India Company. Abel Tasman was a Dutch seafarer who joined the Company and was ordered to explore the south-east waters in order to find a new sea trade route to Chile in South America. In November 1642, he discovered a previously unknown island on his voyage past the "Great South Land", or "New Holland". He named the island "Antony Van Diemen's Land" in honour of the High Magistrate, or Governor-General of Batavia. It was later renamed Tasmania by the English.