William DampierPrint Page

The monument commemorates William Dampier who arrived near the present site of Derby in 1688. He reached the head of King Sound on 5 January 1688. The memorial was unveiled as part of Australia`s Bicentenary in 1988. 

William Dampier (born August 1651, East Coker, Somerset, England — died March 1715, London) was an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer. He was the first Englishman to explore or map parts of New Holland (Australia) and New Guinea. He was the first person to circumnavigate the world three times.

In 1688, Dampier's ship the Cygnet was beached on the northwest coast of Australia near King Sound. While the ship was being careened Dampier made notes on the fauna and flora and the indigenous peoples he found there.

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