I'm still trying to catch up after our trip to Denham. The Duyfken replica, which was built in Fremantle, sailed up to Denham for the 400th Anniversary of Dirk Hartog's landing on the coast of Western Australia. It was wonderful to see this little ship and really makes one appreciate the courage and tenacity of the early explorers. The original Duyfken, was owned by the Dutch East India Company. In 1606, she sailed from the Indonesian island of Banda in search of gold and trade opportunities on the fabled island of Nova Guinea.
Under the command of Willem Janszoon, Duyfken and her crew ventured south-east. They sailed beyond Os Papuas (Papua New Guinea)and explored and chartered part of the coast of Nova Guinea. They did not find gold - but they did find the northern coast of a huge continent: Australia. Captain Janszoon was the first European in history, to map and record Australia, so Duyfken's voyage marks the beginning of Australia's recorded history.
