Shipwreck Databases Western Australian Museum

On the yacht Duyfken (1601): The first European ship known to explore the Australian coast

Author/s M. van Huystee

Year of publication 1995

Report Number: 105

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DUTCH YACHT DUYFKEN TO AUSTRALIAN HISTORY
In 1606 the Duyfken, under the command of Will em Jansz, was the first European ship to reach the Australian coast. During this voyage the vessel explored and mapped the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Queensland. Although the relevance of this event for Australian history is obvious, interestingly, little is known about the ship and her crew because her logbook has never been found.

In the early phase of the Dutch expansion in the Indies there were more than one ship named Duyfken. This publication examines the history of the various ships named Duyfken in order to determine which one was actually involved in the exploration of Australia. Having identified the vessel, an account of her life in the Indies is given, which in turn provides evidence about the vessel and her equipment. This information is important because building plans were not used by Dutch shipwrights in the 17th century and this is therefore one of the limited sources of evidence about the construction and appearance of the vessel.

By viewing the Duy/ken in her historical context one can obtain an insight into the way she was used and the world she was part of.