Captain James Cook, upon encountering the eastern Australian coast and naming Rame Head (Victoria), then sailed up the coast to the famous Botany Bay. Continuing North from there, at about 5 pm on 16 May 1770 (log date) he encountered the reefs that run east from Fingal Head and Cook Island. To avoid these reefs, formed by a lava flow from Mount Warning, Cook was forced to change his course to the east. Cook's log indicates his ship was about 5 miles from the land. However having to pull away to the east to avoid the reefs, that we now know only run to sea from Cook Island, would indicate Cook was much closer to the point he named Point Danger.