In distant times, Polynesians settled Oceania. Polynesian navigators were the discoverers of the island constellations of the South Seas. More than four centuries ago, Europeans came to these seas, and gradually the contours of the numerous archipelagos of Oceania and the fifth continent, Australia, were outlined on the world map. This book is the first consolidated work in Russian devoted to discoveries and research in Australia and Oceania. It describes the campaigns of Polynesian sailors and numerous expeditions of travelers of the 16th - 20th centuries, during which the remote islands of Oceania, the deserts of Australia, the mountain ranges of New Guinea and New Zealand were discovered and mapped.