WI in 1611 Captain Hendrik Brouwer in his attempt to find a faster sea route to Bantam in Java stays too long in the roaring forties and when he turns north finds himself confronted by a large island coastline.
It is at this time that he makes his fateful decision.
Deciding to sail with the winds along the coastline he starts to map the southern australian coast from what we would call Mt Gambier.
Captain Brouwer is amased by what he sees a vast land heavily forested land that is ripe for the taking.
After travelling for a while and with supplies running low he sails into a vast protected bay looking for a place to make land and locate new supplies of food and water.
On making landfall near a large fresh water river Captain Brouwer and his small landing party soon discover a strange animal that hops on its hid legs with a large tail.
They shoot one of these beasts for food and discover that although the meat is tough and stringy with a pungent taste it is edible.
With food and water stocks replemished he continues sailing along the coast in the hope of finding civilization.
The coast suddenly turns northward it is at this point that he realises that this must be the "Great South Land" full of gold and other valuables.
A year and a bit later he and his crew sail into Bantam harbour with stories and a coastal map of a massive island which he calls New Holland.
So what happens now. The Dutch have proof of a vast fertile land just to their south populated only by small numbers of nomadic stone age people.
Do the dutch colonise?
How do they colonise?
How many people in Holland would be willing to travel for a year to get thier hand on large tracts of fertile empty lands?
Lets discuss?
It is at this time that he makes his fateful decision.
Deciding to sail with the winds along the coastline he starts to map the southern australian coast from what we would call Mt Gambier.
Captain Brouwer is amased by what he sees a vast land heavily forested land that is ripe for the taking.
After travelling for a while and with supplies running low he sails into a vast protected bay looking for a place to make land and locate new supplies of food and water.
On making landfall near a large fresh water river Captain Brouwer and his small landing party soon discover a strange animal that hops on its hid legs with a large tail.
They shoot one of these beasts for food and discover that although the meat is tough and stringy with a pungent taste it is edible.
With food and water stocks replemished he continues sailing along the coast in the hope of finding civilization.
The coast suddenly turns northward it is at this point that he realises that this must be the "Great South Land" full of gold and other valuables.
A year and a bit later he and his crew sail into Bantam harbour with stories and a coastal map of a massive island which he calls New Holland.
So what happens now. The Dutch have proof of a vast fertile land just to their south populated only by small numbers of nomadic stone age people.
Do the dutch colonise?
How do they colonise?
How many people in Holland would be willing to travel for a year to get thier hand on large tracts of fertile empty lands?
Lets discuss?