Home » Themes » Landscape » Exploration
300th Anniversary of the Willem de Vlamingh ExpeditionPrint Page 
The sculpture of Willem de Vlamingh commemorates early Dutch seafarers and the 300th anniversary of de Vlamingh`s naming of the Swan River.
In 1696, Willem de Vlamingh commanded a rescue mission to Australia's west coast to find the survivors of a VOC (Dutch East India Company) ship that had gone missing two years earlier. The mission proved fruitless, but along the way de Vlamingh charted parts of the continent's western coast and named Rottnest Island and the Swan River.
Location
| Address: | Resort Drive, Burswood Park, Burswood, 6100 |
|---|---|
| State: | WA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -31.962557 Long: 115.891379 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1696 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1696 |
| Artist: | Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith (Gidgegannup, WA) |
| Link: | https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/sta… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 12th January, 1997 |
|---|
WILLEM de VLAMINGH
This sculpture of Dutch navigator Willem de Vlamingh was unveiled by His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange on 12th January 1997 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of de Vlamingh`s exploration and naming of the Swan River in January 1697.
The sculpture pays tribute to the significant part played by the early Dutch navigators in the discovery of the western coastline of Australia. The Dutch voyages to our coastline, which started with the visit of Dirk Hartog in 1616 and culminated with de Vlamingh`s explorations of 1696 / 1697 preceded the landing of Captain Cook on the east coast by more than a century.
Commemorates early Dutch seafarers and in celebration of the 300th anniversary of de Vlamingh`s naming of the Swan River.
The voyage of Captain Willem de Vlamingh to the unknown South Land in 1696 signifies one of the earliest European attempts to make cultural and commercial contact with the Australian continent.
