This work investigates the historical progression of European maritime exploration of the Australian continent through the primary evidence of contemporary charts and maps. T. M. Perry, a scholar of historical geography, examines the evolution of cartographic knowledge from early speculative southern landmasses to the detailed coastal surveys conducted by navigators. The text argues that these visual records serve as the most accurate chronicle of the shifting understanding of the Australian coastline over several centuries.

Historians and cartographic experts recognize this volume as a definitive reference for the visual history of Australian exploration. Scholars frequently cite the work for its meticulous documentation of the technical evolution in maritime surveying.