Looking back over the broad sweep of Australian history in an attempt to use where we've been to figure out where we are, a few pieces of conventional wisdom need to be deleted.
One of them is the notion that the continent was "discovered" by European explorers, with the accompanying suggestion that the "discovery" was something new, unexpected or unanticipated.
When those Dutch, English, Portuguese or Spanish navigators encountered Australian shores, they were all actively looking for something. I begin Mapping The North: Towards an Outline by exploring the Perceptions and Misconceptions behind that quest.