John Rothwell, born in the Netherlands and later known under his anglicised surname, is the co-founder and long-time chairman of Austal Limited. His leadership played a decisive role in transforming Austal from a small Western Australian start-up into one of the world’s leading builders of advanced aluminium vessels for both Read more
From VOC trading worlds to wartime exile: a material history across four centuries Dutch coins discovered in Australia tell a story far richer and more complex than simple first contacts or accidental landfalls. These small objects, sometimes corroded coppers, sometimes fused silver from shipwreck sites, and sometimes the stray pocket Read more
The Zeewijk was a new ship of the Zeeland Chamber of the VOC, her maiden voyage was from Vlissingen (Netherlands) to Batavia departing in November 1726 with 208 seamen and soldiers aboard, as well as a cargo of general building supplies and 315,836 guilders in 10 chests. Jan Steyns from Read more
On 1 August 1711 the ship the Zuytdorp left the Netherlands with a load of freshly minted silver coins. The ship never arrived at its destination and was never heard from again. No search was undertaken, presumably because the VOC did not know whether or where the shipwrecked or if Read more
Research initiated by the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC), with the assistance of the Nederlandse Oorlogsgravenstichting (OGS), has clarified the wartime burial history of several Dutch and Netherlands East Indies (NEI) servicemen in Queensland. This research showed that three Dutch or NEI soldiers were originally interred at the former USAF Read more
A little-known episode of Dutch–Australian post-war cooperation IntroductionIn the chaotic months after the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Netherlands East Indies entered a turbulent and violent transition. The return of Dutch administrative and military forces coincided with the rise of the Indonesian independence movement and a widespread collapse of Read more
This article is based on detailed historical notes generously provided by the Drijver family, who have preserved accounts shared privately by Robbie (Rob) Drijver in the final years of his life after the expiry of his wartime secrecy obligations. The history of Dutch Australians during the Second World War contains Read more
Two cemeteries on one historic site In November 2025 I visited this very impressive cemetery. It is a meticulously maintained, oases of quietness and peace situated on the busy southern side of Jakarta, hemmed in by high-rise apartments and traffic, It is one of the most important WWII remembrance sites Read more
This article is an English abstract of the two-part Dutch biography of Jack and Truus Hompe, published on IndischHistorisch.nl and based on Louise Hompe’s family chronicle Uitgestelde huwelijksnacht. Their story shows how the Netherlands, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies intersected during the final phase of the Second World War. Read more
The wreck of the VOC ship Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon) in 1656 is one of the most enduring mysteries of early Dutch contact with Australia. While the wreck site was rediscovered in 1963, the fate of the seventy-five survivors who reached the shore has never been conclusively known. Recent archaeological Read more