My gut feeling would be that the VOC would not care one bit what others would do with that bunch of desert they choose to ignore. That said, I doubt they would like that another company would sail on the east, the area of the world they had a monopoly on; a monopoly they consiously tried to get and were given. You need a way that the VOC would not feel threatened by the new company. If someone would go to the estate general to ask if they would be allowed to start a company to take advantage of Australia, the VOC would do everything to avoid a potential competitor and their influence was big enough that they would be able to stop it.If a Dutch company setup and started to explore and eventually settle Australia after Abel Tasman's expedition, would the VOC see them as a potential threat to their profits and is so would they try to stop the company.
Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie. The Dutch East Indies Company, the one the British one was based on.i do not understand "VOC". What does it mean?
My gut feeling would be that the VOC would not care one bit what others would do with that bunch of desert they choose to ignore. That said, I doubt they would like that another company would sail on the east, the area of the world they had a monopoly on; a monopoly they consiously tried to get and were given. You need a way that the VOC would not feel threatened by the new company. If someone would go to the estate general to ask if they would be allowed to start a company to take advantage of Australia, the VOC would do everything to avoid a potential competitor and their influence was big enough that they would be able to stop it.
That said, if someone within the VOC would want to take advantage of Australia, the VOC might decide against doing it themselves, since there is no or almost no profit in. So if someone actualy want to do something with Australia, the VOC might make some deal with him. He is allowed to do whatever he wants with Australia, but is not allowed to sail on the VOC area of influence: Indonesia, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Indo-China, Perisa, South Africa or the Philipines. Still doubtful though.
Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie. The Dutch East Indies Company, the one the British one was based on.
Oh, I am not saying it is likely, but my idea would be something like this. Someone in the VOC sees the succes of the English American colonies. After the fall of the New Netherlands he want to start the same kind of settler colony. The VOC refuses to increase settlement in South Africa. They don't want to start a settlement colony in Australia, since they handle cargo, not people. So he makes a deal with the VOC he can have Australia and start a settlement colony and do what ever he wants with it, while the VOC handles the trade with Asia.It might actually be possible if you saw a break in Jan Compagnie itself; doubtful, but it could work. If there was a corporate split between Amsterdam and Batavia, that could give some new company the chance to stretch its muscles in Australia. That said, I am rather doubtful at how well the Indigenous are going to be treated in 'New Holland'. The VOC doesn't have the best reputation in that area.
Oh, I am not saying it is likely, but my idea would be something like this. Someone in the VOC sees the succes of the English American colonies. After the fall of the New Netherlands he want to start the same kind of settler colony. The VOC refuses to increase settlement in South Africa. They don't want to start a settlement colony in Australia, since they handle cargo, not people. So he makes a deal with the VOC he can have Australia and start a settlement colony and do what ever he wants with it, while the VOC handles the trade with Asia.
Oh about the indigenous people? They would be treated terrible. The indigenous people of all settlement colonieswere treated terrible, just ask the American Indians, the aboriginals of Australia or the black people of South Africa.
The land in OTL New Holland isn't particularly fertile without modern wheat-growing methods. Of course, there are plenty of mineral resources, but it will take a while to find them. If they wanted this colony to be a success, they would need to move to the East Coast.
How would you even be able to make a profit with Australia? Anything Western Australia has to offer until you find gold will rely on its relation with the VOC. That is, a victualing port for Indonesia, extra grain/food for Indonesia, metals for Indonesia perhaps. Therefore, it's profitable is directly linked with the VOC.
That said, if the VOC gives them rule over the East Coast of Australia, they could find some interesting stuff if they go there too. There's the pepperbushes of genus Tasmannia and various species of myrtles, which a clever businessman might be able to promote assuming they meet the right Aboriginals. Especially the pepperbushes, which said clever businessman could use to try and undercut the VOC's black pepper trade. There's also pituri, a nicotine-containing mix used by Aboriginals that someone might recognise as similar to tobacco as used by Indians. It all depends on how intelligent and willing to take risks these hypothetical businessmen and merchants are. Labour on these plantations to farm these plants will probably be Aboriginals at first, but they'll need to grab slaves/serfs from elsewhere because of smallpox and the thin native population, so you'd probably get a very mixed-race population of Australian Aboriginals, Polynesians, Melanesians, black Africans, and poor Europeans in the end. Why not a few Indians from Suriname or New Netherlands too so you can have a racial mixture of all six inhabited continents? That's not even to speak of gold, which Australia has a lot of, and which said company will stumble upon at some point.
This system could end up very profitable, so the VOC probably will take them as a threat. Or if the VOC is equally intelligent, try and buy out/merge with this company once they see they're onto something. That would give this Australia Company more capital for sponsering their crazy schemes.
So this company would be allow to build its self up if it doesn't try and go for areas the VOC claims as part of their sphere of influence, but once it's starts to make money hands over fist then, the VOC may try to take over or get a deal where they also get money from the companies profits.
Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; VOCi do not understand "VOC". What does it mean?
Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie. The Dutch East Indies Company, the one the British one was based on.
The only reason a Dutch company would set up a colony in West Australia would be as a base for rescuing shipwreck survivors. Those who followed the roaring 40's across the Indian ocean from the Cape of Good Hope and didn't turn north in time to miss bumping into Australia. Although there were only 4 confirmed VOC wrecks on the WA coast and another 3 missing ships over a 200 year period so probably not unless Dutch captains take up drinking.
@Jared: well it was the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, the United East-Indian Company. There had been a number of Dutch East India Companies in the Dutch Republic, since at least 1595, they were united into the VOC in 1602.
The proposal seems unlikely, but OTOH the Republic had a lot of financiers too, so if someone can convince enough wealthy people and work something out with the VOC, it may be possible. WA would be en route to the Dutch East Indies AKA (certainly during) the VOC-era 'de Oost' (= 'the East').
Once established, then over time more of the continent will be discovered, including areas, which may be deemed more valuable.
instead of Australia, how about New Zealand?
It does have good conditions for a settler colony.
In that case the VOC would be hostile to any other company doing that trading... they would do it themselves. Besides any other company would need the supply infrastructure to make it to New Zealand, and for that they would need to either establish the infrastructure themselves or make arrangements to use the infrastructure of another country or company.It also has many well-armed locals ready, willing and capable to drive off any would-be settlers. Together with a lack of anything much that can deliver short-term profits as a colonial venture. Although trading with the Māori for textiles and ropes of New Zealand flax would be a viable enterprise.