Australian History: Dutch Explorers
By early 1600s Portugal was losing power in South-East Asia. Holland on the other hand was becoming more powerful and controlled the Dutch East Indies, now called Indonesia. Batavia, on the island of Java was the main Dutch base and Dutch traders sailed to the East Indies to take spices, gold and precious metals back to Holland. The route to Java took the Dutch sailors around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and then they would head south to catch the strong winds called the Roaring Fortis which blew them across the Indian Ocean. After about 6000 kilometers the ships turned north and headed to Java.
Sometimes the Roaring Forties blew the sailing ships further east than the captain intended and sometimes, too, the captain made mistakes in navigation. This led to some Dutch ships being shipwrecked along Australia’s west coast. When this happened, other ships sent from Java came looking for them and seamen began charting much of Australia’s western coastline.
Willem Janszoon - Willem Janszoon (1570-1630), also known as Willem Jansz was was a Dutch navigator and colonial governor. He was aboard the Hollandia, part of the second fleet dispatched by the Ductch to the Dutch East Indies (what is now Indonesia) in 1598.
Dirk Hartog - In 1611, a new sailing route that stretched across the Pacific Ocean from Cape York, in South Africa to the west coast of Australia was pioneered by Brouwer. This new sailing route took advantage of the powerful winds known as the Roaring Forties. The winds were so powerful that it would blow ships, slamming them into the shores of the western coast of Australia.
Abel Tasman - Tasman was sent from the Dutch East Indies. He sailed south and then east. Although Tasman did not find the continent of Australia, he did come across the island of Tasmania, which he named Van Diemen’s Lad in honour of Anthony Van Diemen, the Dutch governor general of Batavia.
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