The Netherlands-Australia > 400 years

In October of this year it is exactly 400 years since VOC captain Dirk Hartog became the first European to set foot on the west coast of Australia. This event is being celebrated extensively in both the Netherlands and Australia during this Dirk Hartog year. To mark and reinforce this long and warm relationship, the Dutch king and queen will be visiting Australia at the end of October, at the head of a Dutch business delegation.

You are cordially invited to attend a special Australia afternoon in the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) on Wednesday 5 October.

Programme
Presentations by well-known underwater archaeologist Martijn Manders and the Australian bestselling author Peter FitzSimons (Batavia) with adventurous stories about the VOC ships that perished off the coast of Australia.
Followed by the official launch of Boemerang magazine by the Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Brett Mason, and the director of the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, Mr Cees van ’t Veen.

Boemerang is a special one-off publication by the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, DutchCulture, the Dutch National Archives, the Australian Embassy in the Netherlands and the Netherlands Embassy in Australia. It contains various articles on the relationship between the Netherlands and Australia throughout the centuries. You will receive a copy of Boemerang to take home.

Practical information
Date: Wednesday 3 October 2016
Time: 16.00 - 18.00 (doors open 15.45)
Location: De Kamer van De Ruyter, National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum), Kattenburgerplein 1, Amsterdam.
Language: English.
Admission is free after registering your attendance with DutchCulture here. (NB limited number of seats available)