Aussie October: Down Under in the Netherlands

In October of this year it is exactly 400 years since VOC captain Dirk Hartog became the first European to land on the west coast of Australia with his ship De Eendracht.

Aussie October: Boemerang
During this Dirk Hartog year, the special magazine Boemerang will be released in October, containing various articles on the relationship between the Netherlands and Australia throughout the centuries.

Boemerang is a one-off publication by the Australian embassy in the Netherlands, DutchCulture, the Dutch National Archives, the Netherlands embassy in Australia, and the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency. The magazine is freely available online on the websites of the organisations listed above. The Maand van de Geschiedenis (Month of History) magazine, appearing on 26 September, will feature some excerpts from Boemerang.

You can read Boemerang online or download in PDF format (8 Mb). If you would like to receive Boemerang at home, please order a copy from the Cultural Heritage Agency.

Other activities in the Netherlands during the Dirk Hartog year

• Pop-up exposition Bridging the Distance, throughout the country. The expo presents the story of the hundreds of thousands of migrants who, in the 50s and 60s of the previous century, sought a new future in America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. On display throughout the Maand van de Geschiedenis (Month of History, held in October). Locations and times to be announced on Facebook
• Exhibition Mapping Australia, to be opened officially on 3 October by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, in advance of their state visit to Australia and New Zealand (end of October, early November). Mapping Australia combines historical VOC maps with Aboriginal paintings that depict their deep bond with the land. 4 October – 15 January 2017, Aboriginal Art Museum (AAMU), Utrecht. More information
• Authentic Aussie BBQ ! Keep an eye on Facebook for opportunities to reserve places. 12 October, 18:00 hrs, Drover’s Dog, Amsterdam.
• Life on board the Batavia. Re-enactment group Life on Board joins the Flevoland theatre group J.T.L. to give demonstrations on board the ship, the Batavia. 23 October, 10-17 hrs, Bataviawerf, Lelystad. More information
• Photo exhibition Orphans of the VOC. Portraits by photographer Geert Snoeijer of –purported – descendants of VOC castaways who were absorbed into the Aboriginal population. 17 December – 12 March 2017, Westfries Museum, Hoorn. More information
• VOC exhibition with historical documents, maps, ship’s logbooks and personal letters from the time of the VOC expeditions. 24 February 2017 – 7 January 2018, National Archives, The Hague. More information
• Reissue of the bestseller Batavia (2012) by Peter FitzSimons – the Shakespearian-like tale of the heavily loaded VOC merchant ship Batavia that ran aground on the reefs at the Houtman Abrolhos islands off the coast of West Australia in 1629. On sale at bookstores for 15 euros, from 20 September.