Dutch Discoveries of Australia: Shipwrecks, Treasures, and Early Voyages off the West Coast by J P Sigmond and L H Zuiderbaan

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Sunning to foredges. Dust jacket has light creasing at edges and spine. Dust jacket is now enclosed in a glossy protective cover. Interior and binding are still excellent.

As far back as the early 1600s, the Dutch East India Company, as it was commonly known, instructed its merchant ships to strike out eastwards after the Cape of Good Hope on their way to the East Indies. This brought the company ships close to the west coast of Australia. Even though there was much danger in uncharted waters, the company thought the risk was worth taking because the long voyage was almost halved.

Gradually, these early Dutch seafarers charted accurate maps of the region, but not until after long years of hardship, heartbreak and tragedy. The story of this extraordinary history of exploration, piecemeal chartings, and feats of sheer expert seamanship during this high period of Dutch seafaring superiority is one of the most neglected chapters of Australian history.

The eventual and successful navigation of the west coast was not the only legacy of the early Dutch discovery of Australia. The remains of at least four ships have been discovered - Batavia, Vergulde Draeck, Zuytdorp and the Zeewiik, with their stories of deprivation, violence, death and despair. (book flap)