Beyond Capricorn

Infobox Book
name = Beyond Capricorn
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Peter Trickett
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Australia
language = English
series =
subject = Australian History
genre =
publisher = East Street Publications
release_date = 2007
english_release_date =
media_type =
pages =
isbn = ISBN 9780975114599
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Beyond Capricorn: How Portuguese adventurers secretly discovered and mapped Australia and New Zealand 250 years before Captain Cook" is a 2007 book by journalist Peter Trickett on the theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia. East Street Publications [ [http://www.eaststreet.com.au/gallery.php An Australian publishing house based in South Australia] ] publicized the book worldwide and news reports presented it as being a new theory on the discovery of Australia, [ See for example [http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,2039850,00.html "Guardian Unlimited", March 22, 2007] Several of these reports also claimed the theory "proved" Cook was not the first to discover Australia. See other links below.] although its thesis is similar to that advanced by Kenneth McIntyre in 1977, [McIntyre, K.G (1977) "The Secret Discovery of Australia, Portuguese ventures 200 years before Cook." Souvenir Press, Menindie ISBN 028562303 6 ] Lawrence Fitzgerald in 1984 [ Fitzgerald, L (1984). "Java La Grande." The Publishers, Hobart ISBN 0 94932500 7 ] and others. The book received enthusiastic reviews on-line [ For a summary see [http://www.eaststreet.com.au/viewitem.php?b=28 a website moderated by East Street Publications] ] and on breakfast and talk-back radio in Australia. [ See for example [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/breakfast/stories/2007/1874941.htm a Radio National report delivered by ABC Journalist Fran Kelly on March 19,2007] ] To date, only limited criticism of Trickett's book has appeared. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/the-goans-get-tough-and-mystery-remains/2007/04/13/1175971344776.html Phillip Knightley's review in the "Sydney Morning Herald"] ] [ [http://www.mcwetboy.net/maproom/2007/04/april_fool_reve.php A send-up of Trickett's theory on Jonathan Crowe's Map Room site] ] [ [http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=254104 A review in The Bulletin magazine by Gideon Haigh] ] [ "Agora", Vol 42, No. 2, 2007. Journal of the History Teacher's Association of Victoria. Book reviews, P.64. ISSN:0044-6726 ]

Synopsis

The title of the book refers to the sixteenth century Dieppe maps of France which in part show land in a continent south of the Tropic of Capricorn, that is in the area of Australia. Trickett claims that the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover Australia, between 1519 – 24, well before the first recognized landfall of Europeans in Australia in 1606 by Willem Janszoon. According Trickett, the first European to sight Australia may have been Diogo Pacheco, a relative of Duarte Pacheco, at Napier Broome Bay in the Kimberleys in north-western Australia in 1520. Using an account from the history of the Portuguese empire in Asia by João de Barros, "Décadas da Ásia", Trickett argues Pacheco was killed there in a battle with Aborigines while searching for gold. [Trickett, P. (2007) pps 37-70 ] Trickett claims the Carronade Island cannons, originate from this voyage. [ Trickett, P. (2007) pps 39-48. Trickett dismisses the research into the Carronade Island Cannons by Jeremy Green, see footnote on pps353-355. For Green's research see [http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/collections/maritime/march/documents/No.%20215%20Carronade%20Is%20Gun.pdf "An investigation of one of the two bronze guns from Carronade Island, Western Australia"] ]

Most of the book, however, focuses on the claimed voyage of Cristóvão de Mendonça, along the eastern coast of Australia then to New Zealand shortly afterwards, and an unknown Portuguese explorer of the west coast. Trickett uses one of Dieppe maps, the highly decorated "Vallard" atlas of 1547 to demonstrate this. Trickett claims that de Mendonça sailed down the east coast of Australia, passing through Botany Bay, around Wilsons Promontory to Kangaroo Island, before returning to Portuguese controlled Malacca via the North Island of New Zealand. He also claims the Portuguese charted the Western Australian coast, as far south as the south west tip of Australia. Trickett claims that the French Vallard map [ [http://sunsite3.berkeley.edu/hehweb/HM29.html See Images of the Vallard atlas 1547] ] was composed of several portolan charts that were incorrectly assembled from now lost Portuguese charts. Trickett adjusts the Vallard map and rotates it 90 degrees, giving what he claims is a reasonably accurate depiction of Australia's eastern and western coasts

Trickett goes through almost every written location on the Vallard map, giving the English translation from the Portuguese, and explaining where he believes the place is located. He also mentions the Mahogany Ship, the ruins at Bittangabee Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, various Aboriginal legends and linguistic similarities, a French lead sinker found on the Queensland coast and the "Spanish Helmet" [ [http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/VisitingTePapa/FAQs/Exhibitions.htm#spanishhelmet, See Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongararewa] ] as further evidence of the Portuguese discovery of Australia and New Zealand.

An example of approach - Botany Bay

Several media reports mentioned that Trickett claimed that the map accurately showed Botany Bay to the point where the Sydney Airport runways could be drawn on it. [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSSYD3449720070321 Reuters report by Michael Perry.] Widely copied by other sources on the web. ] This is a large bay on the map named "Baia Neve"; however there are islands shown around it which do not appear in this area today. These are explained in the book thus: the red islands in the bay itself are supposed to be Bare Island and mudflats which appear as an island; the five red islands outside the harbour are the Five Islands Group near Wollongong; the gold island is the North Head with the thin strip of land near Manly Beach making it appear to be an island; the blue island which is 'Y' shaped is what James Cook named Cape Three Points (now Boudi)

References

External links

* [http://sunsite3.berkeley.edu/hehweb/HM29.html Images of the Vallard atlas (1547) at the Huntington Library]
* [http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/03/21/australia.map.reut/index.html?eref=rss_latest CNN News - Author: Map proves Portuguese discovered Australia]
* [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21421880-2,00.html News.com.au Map 'shows Cook wasn't first]
* [http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSSYD3449720070321 Reuters, Map proves Portuguese discovered Australia: new book]