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Born to humble beginnings, Cook received recognition during his life for his many achievements but would likely be surprised at the extent and longevity of his legacy.

For two centuries the dominant narrative about Cook has seen him simultaneously revered and reviled. For some he is a hero, for others he is quite the opposite.

There is no denying Cook occupies a central role in the history of modern Australia and the challenge today is how best to tell and hear that story as the complex narrative it is.

Australia has been under Indigenous custodianship for more than 60,000 years. The country is home to sites and artefacts that have been preserved for thousands of years and that can be appreciated today as significant to the history of the whole of humanity.

Archaeology in Australia

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples believe that archaeological sites are not just capsules of the past, but also represent a continuation from the past to the present. This belief influences present-day research and investigation into Australia’s archaeological past.

When the HMB Endeavour set sail from England under the command of Lieutenant James Cook on 26 August 1768, it did so with the aim of achieving three objectives.

The first was to set up an observatory in Tahiti to record the 1769 transit of Venus. The second, led by Joseph Banks, was to record natural history during the expedition. And the third was a secret.

In the 18th century one of the biggest mysteries facing astronomers was the size of the solar system. They knew the relative spacing of some of the planets that orbited the sun but had yet to establish the absolute distances between them.

As part of an ambitious project to better understand the solar system, the HMB Endeavour set sail to Tahiti in the South Pacific, under the command of Lieutenant James Cook.

People find common ground in looking to the stars. Many cultures use the sun, moon and stars to tell stories, share knowledge and understand the world around them.

For long distance voyagers such as Captain James Cook, knowledge of the stars was essential in charting a course to distant lands and to sail back home again. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the sun, moon, stars and planets were used to explain the relationships between people, nature and the sky for thousands of years.

Herman Diedrich Spöring

It is a little known fact that Joseph Banks hired two other naturalists to be part of his scientific team for the HMB Endeavour voyage. Banks and Daniel Solander’s contributions to science have been widely recognised but much less is known about the third naturalist, Herman Diedrich Spöring.

Yet, without Spöring, it is possible the expedition may not have achieved its primary objective — to observe and chart the 1769 transit of Venus across the sun.

The Swedish naturalist made famous by the HMB Endeavour voyage

Daniel Solander joined the HMB Endeavour as a renowned naturalist and is best known for his precise and detailed botanical work on the expedition—collecting and describing specimens using a new classification system developed by the famous naturalist, Carl Linnaeus.

The HMB Endeavour’s voyage along the east coast of Australia marked the start of a shared history and the beginning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage materials being removed and taken overseas.

In 2020, the Australian Government acknowledges repatriation of these materials is an important step in the nation’s reconciliation journey. The return of cultural heritage items is a fundamental part of truth telling, healing and reconciliation. It provides all Australians with the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of our shared history.