Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

Some of the earliest visitors to our coastline were The Dutch & French.
These guys were floating around the world shortly after they discovered that they wouldn't drop over the edge.
Several bumped into or saw our coast, around 400 years ago. The Batavia was the more talked about since, because it was discovered in comparatively recent years, to have bumped/Come to grief, on Islands of the coast of my home town, Geraldton, about 400 odd kilometers north of Perth. Where we brought the Americas Cup to.
These Islands were named Abrolhos islands by the Dutch.

Some years earlier, another Dutchman, Dirk Hartog, landed on another Island, didn't like it, planted a plaque to record his visit & moved on. This Island was named, you guessed it, Dirk Hartog Is'd.
About now, there are celebrations in that area, Denham or Sharks Bay, small settlement near D.H. island, highlighting 400 years since he arrived.

In recent history there have been built, replica ships of various historical events. From the Batavia loss, the Dutch built a replica of that ship. The Endeavour, another ship involved in Australias beginnings.
In this case, Dirk Hartogs ship Duyfken [Little Dove]. She called in to Geraldton on her way to join the festivities in Sharks Bay.
I was fortunate to spy her in Geraldton for the pic.

As an aside, the wrecking of the Batavia lead to a rescue voyage to the Indonesian city of Batavia, now Jakarta, which is where the original voyage was bound for, before her GPS malfunctioned. The only means for the rescue was in the Long boat.
A crew of 4 sailed this Long Boat to Batavia to raise the alarm.
around the time of our historical discovery, the art of boat building from those times was rejuvenated in local artisans. In the case of the Batavia, a local builder took on the task of building a replica of the Long Boat.

This story is actually of two different events in our history but I post it to highlight the two pic's of replica boats involved in them, & a brief story of when & why.
The Batavia story was written in several books, the most graphic of which is The Island of Angry Ghosts.
A brutal story of mutiny, murder, sex & Debauchery, by the people left behind to be rescued.
The Abrolhos Islands are about 40 miles off the west coast of Western Australia, near Geraldton.

Duyfken

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Batavias Long Boat

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RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Thanks for the history reminders.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

I think all this stuff happened before your eastern stuff happened, & before our stuff cranked up.
Lucky they didn't like it, we'd all be speaking double dutch by now.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

What a wonderful history lesson! Kudos, and great pics too!

Galahad

Good for you ,mate, to have reminded us about these early explorers.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

Cheers Jake, away from politics you sound like a human being. A soft inner.
In retirement I've taken more interest in history. The closer to home its stronger, even family history got me sucked in.
I've found ancestry back into the late 1600s, on my mums Scottish side. Dads father was Latvian, became a seaman, then migrated to become a sodbuster, a timber cutter, photographer. Dad was a Pom. I'm an Aussie.
I assume by your avatar, you were a Marine. I tried to join the Aussie Navy out of school but missed out.
My younger bro did & we lost him on the HMAS Voyager in 1964. The sea is in our genes.
I may have asked you a couple of years back: The Jake Brake handle suggests to me you've had dealings with trucks, that use the Jacobs braking system?? They're called Jake Brakes. Real snarly.
Marines by chance??

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Yep, guilty on both counts. A former Marine, and trucker for 45 years. Retired now, and don't miss trucking a bit!

Abo

Lol...

BigAl Loc: Lincs UK

Interesting history lesson that I was not aware of. I did see the replica of the Endeavour at Whitby and watched it coming into Boston docks a few years ago.
Nice shots and thanks for the info

cessnalvr Loc: West virginia

Real nice boat pics. And jake brake how did you manage to last 45 yrs. as bad as it is. Ow dont think i can do another 71/2

mtcoothaman Loc: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Bunko

You must be psychic, or have a good memory! Today's Australian newspaper, p6, has an article on our early accidental visitors- no doubt prompted by the anniversary of Dirk Hartog's visit on 25 Oct 1616 ie 400 yrs ago. Jansz and the Duyfken beat him by 10yrs. There is a ceremony today involving a Dufyken replica, perhaps you knew that. Poor old Cook was way behind getting over here in 1770.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

Alas, Coota man, no such super powers. It's just that the news takes a while longer to get to Queensland.
Being just up the coast from us, like 7 or 800 kms up, we were aware of the event earlier than you guys. In fact, I got the hint when I saw that little dove in Geraldton, promoting the event.
Like you in Queensland, we have a coastline of many historical events, many that didn't eventuate by being wrecked before the event.
Many lost souls on our coastline.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

Yeah, there was quite a fuss over the Endeavor when she was built. There was a Tall Ships event about that time that she partook in.
This is a Sai Training ship, STS Leeuwin II, another Dutch name meaning Lioness.
It seems we give a lot of Kudos to other nations with names from their language. Quite a few French names around too. many Islands or water ways.
At least it was the Poms that had the guts to settle here & make a country out of it. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

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Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

This is the celebration they were sailing to. 400 people in the middle of nowhere??? For a 400 year old birthday.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-25/hundreds-gather-to-mark-dirk-hartog-400th-anniversary/7965034

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Got out of it in 2006 when I retired at 61. It got so bad, I sold my tractor and trailer and just plain gave up.