Key points:

• A clay pipe found in a bottle dump in Launceston appears to show one of the earliest recorded European depictions of a Tasmanian tiger

• It is believed to be at least 190 years old and handcrafted out of river clay by a local

• Adding to the mystery of the pipe is the depiction of a kookaburra, which were were not introduced to Tasmania until 1902

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-08/rare-clay-pipe-depicts-tasmanian-tiger/12215284

250 years ago, Captain James Cook and his ship the HMS Endeavour landed at Kamay (Botany Bay) on the eastern coast of Australia. He was in the middle of a months-long exploration of the eastern coast. His crew first spotted the Australian mainland on 11th April 1770, and they left Australian waters after taking possession of the continent in the name of King George III on 22nd August.

This was not the first visitation of Australia by Europeans. That honour goes to Dutch sailor Willem Janszoon in his ship the Duyfken in 1606. Dutch & Portuguese sailors & traders continued to visit the north and west coasts for the next couple of centuries. They called the continent "New Holland".

But Cook represented the first European power to assume possession of the continent. 18 years later, the English sent their First Fleet of convict ships to the land of New South Wales.

250 years since Captain Cook arrived in Australia, his legacy remains fraught

What Australians often get wrong about our most (in)famous explorer, Captain Cook

For Indigenous people, Cook's voyage of 'discovery' was a ghostly visitation

Frustratingly (and in keeping with how confusing the messaging has been from the Australian government on all aspects of this pandemic), there is no single easy source that lists these new restrictions in a nice simple format.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-29/public-gatherings-limited-to-two-people-coronavirus-covid-19/12101162

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-29/scott-morrison-coronavirus-covid19-two-person-rule-explained/12101212

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/elderly-australians-told-to-self-isolate-at-home-outdoor-gatherings-restricted-to-two-people-20200329-p54f1g.html

• All gatherings, whether indoors or outdoors, are limited to 2 people. Exceptions apply for people you're living with (you're already sharing germs with them). However, previous limits of 5 people for weddings and 10 people for funerals still apply.

• People should only leave the house for necessary activities, such as: shopping for supplies, exercising, medical care, work, school.

• Elderly people should stay home and self-isolate. This applies to: healthy people over 70; unhealthy people over 60; indigenous people over 50. (And if we ever needed evidence that indigenous people have worse health than everyone else, this announcement proves it.)

• Public playgrounds, outside gyms, and skate parks will close.

These rules are all advisory, rather than legal. However, individual states can choose to enforce them legally.