The “Duyfhen” in the Gulf of…

Engraving of the first known European ship to make landfall on Australian soil.

In 1606, the small Dutch ship Duyfken sailed from the Indonesian island of Banda in search of gold and trade opportunities on the fabled island of Nova Guinea. Under the command of Willem Janszoon
(Janz), the Duyfken and her crew ventured south-east. They sailed beyond papua New Guinea and explored and chartered part of the coast of Nova Guinea. They did not find gold but they did find the
northern coast of a huge continent: Australia. Captain Janszoon was the first European to map and record any part of Australia so Duyfken’s voyage marks the beginning of Australia’s European recorded history.

The crew landed at Pennefather River, near modern-day Weipa on the west coast of the peninsula before it headed south to Cape Keerweer.

References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 : 9829g.
Hughes-d’Aeth, T. Paper Nation : The Story of the Picturesque Atlas of Australia. Melbourne 2001 :.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1654251
National Gallery Australia: Legacy ID 34588
Royal Collection Trust UK: RCIN 1046852
Getty Museum Los Angeles: 1218593
State Library New South Wales: 74VvDRQZXzWd
State Library Victoria: CCF 919.4 G19