The Western Australian Museum’s famous De Vlamingh Plate will travel to the Nation’s capital next month to take part in the National Library of Australia’s Mapping our World exhibition.

The 30cm pewter plate, which dates back to 1697 when Dutchman Willem de Vlamingh landed at Dirk Hartog Island, Shark Bay, is one of Australia's oldest and most treasured historical artefacts left behind by our early explorers.

Western Australian Museum Chief Executive Officer Alec Coles said the plate underwent extensive testing at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne earlier this year to confirm its integrity and ability to travel.

“We are delighted the testing has allowed us to create a new travelling and exhibition case that will better protect and conserve it, meaning it can be loaned to other major institutions,” Mr Coles said.

“This is a wonderful way of showcasing one of our most significant objects and exposing the wonder of the WA Museum to a national audience. It is fantastic to be able to share this important part of Australian maritime history with the rest of the country.”

Mapping our World brings together some of the world's greatest maps, atlases, globes and scientific instruments, many of which have never before been seen in the Southern Hemisphere.

The plate will travel to Canberra in early November and has been taken off display from its usual home at the WA Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle in preparation for the move.

The plate can be seen at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, from 7 November 2013 to 10 March 2014.