Australia 2002
Tasmania
In 1642 the Dutchman set sail from Batavia (now Djakarta) with his two ships the Heemskerck and Zeehaen in search for Terra Australis incognita (the unknown Southern Continent).
The original plan was to sail East from Mauritius between the 52th and 54th parallel, but weather conditions dictated a course further North (at a lattitude of around 42 degrees South).
On November 24th, 1642 he was the first European to discover the island of Tasmania and named it "Anthony van Diemen Landt".
But without new trading partnerships and major resources, the Dutch soon lost their interest in New Holland (now Australia) and left it to others, such as English buccaneer William Dampier and explorer captain James Cook.
More on the interesting early European discoveries of Australia on: http://www.muffley.net/pacific/
Hobart is home of the headquarters of Australian Antarctic Division, which coordinates the Australian exploration of Antarctica. The headquarters on the outskirts of Hobart have a small interesting museum which is open to the public.