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Willem de VlaminghPrint Page 
The monument commemorates Dutch navigator Willem de Vlamingh, who landed at Rottnest Island in 1696.
Vlamingh was sent out with three ships in May 1696 from Holland to look for survivors of a ship which was thought to have been wrecked on the west coast of Australia. They sighted the coast on 29 December and anchored off Rottnest Island. On 31 December de Vlamingh went ashore but no people or wreckage was found. They did discover a small marsupial which was to become known as a quokka.
They thought this animal was a kind of rat so the name of the island was changed to `Rat`s Nest`. They dug wells and collected water and scented timber and a few days later men were sent to the mainland, where they found traces of Aboriginals. A river with numerous black swans was called Swaanerivier and de Vlamingh rowed some sixteen kilometres up it. On 13 January 1697 the vessels weighed anchor and sailed north.
Location
| Address: | Digby Drive, Rottnest Island , 6161 |
|---|---|
| State: | WA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -32.023611 Long: 115.450278 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 31-December-1696 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 13-January-1697 |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Monday 30th December, 1935 |
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To Willem De Vlamingh
Dutch Navigator
Who visited this Island on the 30th December, 1686, and named it Rottenest Island
Erected 30 / 12 / 1935
Hier Landde
30 XII 1696
Willem de Vlamingh
Algemeen Nederlandsch Verbond
Batavia 30 XII 1935
