A Divided Australia

I was wondering if at some point there was a chance of another power claiming a large portion of mainland Australia and making it stick long enough for a Colony that looked towards some one other than Great Britain to grow at odds to New South Wales.
 
France in the 1830s was looking around for one before Britain claimed Swan River Colony.
Any time after 1788 is too late for France, though not necessarily for other powers. Once Britain had claimed Australia, they had a clear policy of immediately founding a colony anywhere that the French were known or rumoured to be interested in. France was never in a position to support a colony if the British didn't want them there.
 
Any time after 1788 is too late for France, though not necessarily for other powers. Once Britain had claimed Australia, they had a clear policy of immediately founding a colony anywhere that the French were known or rumoured to be interested in. France was never in a position to support a colony if the British didn't want them there.

So then, could you have the Netherlands claim some of the northern Australian coast post-1800?
 
So then, could you have the Netherlands claim some of the northern Australian coast post-1800?
Theoretically, yes. It would take an unusual set of circumstances, though, since:

(a) the northern coast of Australia is really unappealing from a European perspective; and
(b) the Dutch had known about Australia for about 200 years by that point and never shown the slightest interest in setting up a colony there.
 
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