An exhibition encompassing the stories of the first recorded European (Dutch) landings in Shark Bay, Western Australia, will be on display at the Kalbarri Shire Offices from this Friday 23 October.

The Accidental Encounters: the Dutch connection exhibition was developed by the Western Australian Museum in preparation for next year’s 400th anniversary of Dirk Hartog’s landing in Shark Bay.

Museum CEO Alec Coles said Accidental Encounters tells the story of the first recorded European landings in WA and the four 17th and 18th Century Dutch East India Company (VOC) shipwrecks off the Western Australian coast.

“This is an important part of Western Australia’s history and we are delighted to be able to tour this exhibition to regional centres in the State,” Mr Coles said.

Accidental Encounters includes replicas of the pewter dinner plates left by Dirk Hartog and Willem de Vlamingh at Cape Inscription in Shark Bay.

“Hartog inscribed the story of his voyage and crew on his pewter plate, and the wooden post to which it was nailed in 1616 marks the first physical evidence of European landing in Australia,” Mr Coles said.

“Recognising the historical value of the plate in 1697, de Vlamingh replaced it with another pewter plate and inscribed the story of his own voyage and crew, taking Hartog’s plate with him to Batavia (now known as Jakarta).”

Hartog’s plate was eventually taken to Holland and is currently on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. De Vlamingh’s plate has been preserved by the WA Museum and is on display at the WA Museum’s Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle.

Accidental Encounters also features authentic artefacts from the four known Dutch East India Company wrecks, the Zeewijk (wrecked 1727), the Zuytdorp (wrecked 1712) and the Vergulde Draeck (wrecked 1656), as well as the earliest Dutch wreck so far discovered, the Batavia (wrecked 1629).

“The exhibition provides a glimpse of life on board these vessels and what they were carrying at the time,” Mr Coles said.

“It also includes a model of the Batavia ship, and 3D underwater footage taken by WA Museum maritime archaeologists, giving visitors the experience of diving on the Batavia wreck.”

Accidental Encounters: the Dutch connection is a free exhibition and will be at the Allen Centre Building, 70 Grey Street, Kalbarri from Friday 23 October 2015 until Sunday 27 March 2016.

Media contact
Flora Perrella
Media and Communications Coordinator
Western Australian Museum
(08) 6552 7804
flora.perrella@museum.wa.gov.au