How long would it take to move a large number of people during the 17th century.

When the British began colonisation of Australia in 1788, it took 20 years before the settler population reached 10,000 (population 10,263 in 1808, source http://chartsbin.com/view/eoo).

I would imagine it would be similar in the 1600s. So unless the Dutch made a huge effort and sent thousands of ships to Australia within a short time frame, it would be a lengthy process to settle the continent.
 
When the British began colonisation of Australia in 1788, it took 20 years before the settler population reached 10,000 (population 10,263 in 1808, source http://chartsbin.com/view/eoo).

I would imagine it would be similar in the 1600s. So unless the Dutch made a huge effort and sent thousands of ships to Australia within a short time frame, it would be a lengthy process to settle the continent.

Well since the VOC had a large navy it shouldn't be a problem.
 
Dutch colonisation would be intriniscally linked to Indonesia and probably lead to early discovery of the Clipper Route. So the VOC would be bringing a lot of people near there, maybe some would stay. I mean, it'd be better than the tropical heat which was the death of so many Europeans in Batavia.
 
Where are they going to get these colonists, especially during the 17th century when the Dutch need all the manpower they can get? Also it's worth considering why the Dutch colonies around the world failed to grow at the same rate that the English colonies did.
 
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