The name Australia (pronounced [əˈstɹæɪljə, -liə] in Australian English  ) is derived from the Latin Terra Australis ("southern land"), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times.  When Europeans first began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was naturally applied to the new territories. [N 4]
Colloquial names for Australia include " Oz " and "the Land Down Under" (usually shortened to just " Down Under "). Other epithets include "the Great Southern Land", " the Lucky Country ", "the Sunburnt Country", and "the Wide Brown Land". The latter two both derive from Dorothea Mackellar 's 1908 poem " My Country ". 
With the loss of its American colonies in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the " First Fleet ", under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip , to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales. A camp was set up and the flag raised at Sydney Cove , Port Jackson , on 26 January 1788,  a date which became Australia's national day, Australia Day , although the British Crown Colony of New South Wales was not formally promulgated until 7 February 1788. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney , and the exploration and settlement of other regions.