Australia and the Netherlands might not be two countries that get spoken of together all that often, but you might be surprised how many links there are between them. For two very different land masses (one tiny, one huge) on opposite sides of the globe, we have a lot of ties binding us together. Read on to find out interesting ways our countries are linked and how to celebrate Australia Day (this week) in the Netherlands!
Dutch Exploration of Australia
One biiiiig island.
For most Dutch people at least, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Dutch were actually the first Europeans to set foot on Australian soil. Willem Janszoon made landfall in Queensland in 1606 and Western Australia in 1618. Then of course Dirk Hartog was the leader of the second European group to land in Australia, and the first to leave an artefact behind to record his visit in 1616; the Hartog Plate on what is now known as Dirk Hartog Island. Frederik de Houtman, Abel Tasman and Willem de Vlamingh were the other notable Dutch explorers who first began charting Australia in the 17th century. Australia was once called “New Holland”, until it was later colonised by the English in 1788. Australian comedian Adam Hills gives an amusing account on the idiosyncrasies of today’s Australian accent, and touches on these early explorations and what might have been, although I’m not too sure about his Dutch accent impersonation although the rest are spot on. Warning: He does swear a couple of times, but, you know, he’s Australian…
Dutch Shipwrecks in Australia
The replica Batavia in Lelystad.
With so many Dutch ships exploring Australia and sailing past the Western coast of Australia on their way to Jakarta (then Batavia) it was inevitable that there were quite a few shipwrecks of Dutch ships off the coast of Australia. The coast of Western Australia has actually been the resting place for over 1400 shipwrecks (not just Dutch ones) due to its long and difficult coastline, common powerful storms and cyclones, and during the 16th and 17th Centuries, the inability to accurately measure longitude which meant many ships turned out of the “Roaring Forties” too late and just smashed into the coast instead of heading up to Indonesia. Perhaps the most well-known shipwreck on the West Australian coast is that of the VOC ship Batavia which was lost in 1620 and has been the subject of numerous articles, books, films and an opera. The story of the mutiny, wreck and consequent massacre that took place amongst the survivors has made this shipwreck quite infamous. A replica of the ship can now be found in Lelystad, and remains of the original shipwreck are displayed in the Western Australian Museum, Geraldton.
Dutch Place Names in Australia
Rottnest Island, Western Australia.
Not surprisingly since the Dutch explored so much of the Australian coastline, there are a lot of places in Australia named after Dutch people or places. Some of these names have been changed but many have remained the same as the original Dutch choices, with perhaps a more English way of spelling. What might be surprising to a lot of Aussies, and maybe even Dutchies, is just how many places were named by the Dutch. There are your usual spots named after Dutch notable people and places in the Netherlands, such as:
Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia (named after the explorer who landed there)
Arnhem Land, Northern Territory (named for the city of Arnhem)
Gulf of Carpenteria, Queensland (named for Pieter de Carpentier, then Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies)
Wessel Islands, Northern Territory (named after the ship Klein Wesel which was named after the city of Wesel)
Maria Island, Tasmania (named after Maria Van Aelst, the wife of Anthony Van Diemen)
And of course, the original name for Tasmania was Van Diemen’s Land, named for Anthony Van Diemen, then it was changed to Tasmania, for Dutch explorer Abel Tasman!
Then there are names that don’t sound like they were named by the Dutch, but actually were, such as;
Crocodile Islands, Northern Territory (originally ‘Crocodils Eijlandt’)
Storm Bay, Tasmania (originally ‘Storm Baij’ because of a heavy storm that drove Abel Tasman out of the bay)
Swan River, Perth (originally ‘Zwaanenrivier’ or ‘Swarte Swaene-Rivier’ after the black swans in it)
Rottnest Island, Western Australia (originally ‘Rottenest Eijland’ as the Dutch thought the Quokkas were rats; hence ‘rat’s nest island’)
Below, a happy Quokka, not a rat.
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