Early Dutch Books on the Exploration of Australia

Thus wrote Jan Carstenszoon, commander of the Pera, on the third of May 1623, after exploring the east coast of what is now called the Gulf of Carpentaria. Other Dutch sailors have hardly been less harsh about Australia. They had hoped to discover pepper, silver and gold in the mythical Southland, but they found nothing of any commercial value. When Willem de Vlamingh headed for Batavia on 21 February 1697 after a long journey along the Australian west coast, “[…] five cannon shots were fired […] as a signal of farewell to the miserable South Land.”

Netherlands – Australia 1606 – 2006

Complete digital facsimiles of five early Dutch books on the exploration of Australia are published here for the first time. All texts are provided with short introductions, page by page English translations and bibliographical descriptions. On the occasion of the celebration of Netherlands – Australia 1606 – 2006 the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands, is proud to present this CD-rom to all Australian research libraries and academic institutions that contribute to the study of the Dutch-Australian history and heritage.