The first explorers

In about 1500 B.C., Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt sent a fleet to the ‘Land of Punt’. No-one is sure where Punt was, but experts think the Egyptian sailors ventured out of the Mediterranean and sailed south along the coast of Africa. Astonishing voyages were also made by Arab and Chinese explorers. People from Asia reached Australia 25,000 years ago, by ‘island-hopping’ across the ocean.