712-2012 WA Museum supports Zuytdorp festivities Western Australian Museum Chief Executive Offi cer Alec Coles T is a pleasure for the Western Australian Museum to be working with the Kalbarri Development IAssociation to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the wreck of Zuytdorp. As part of this collaboration, the Museum will lend a number of artefacts from the wreck of the Zuytdorp to the Shire of Northampton, to be exhibited at Kalbarri as part of Zest Fest; a fi ve-year long celebration culminating in the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dirk Hartog. Western Australia has a long and dramatic history of shipwrecks off its rugged coastline. The story of the wreck of the Zuytdorp and what befell its crew and passengers is an intriguing one that continues to occupy us today. The Western Australian Western Australian Museum Chief Executive Offi cer, Alec Coles Museum became responsible for the shipwreck site in 1963, and since that time The WA Museum is always pleased to be able to share these congratulated for their vision to has continued to investigate looking for opportunities to make items with the people of Shark create Zest Fest, which through the Zuytdorp wreck to try to the State’s collection available Bay and Kalbarri. its many events will explore understand the causes of the to local communities both in Kalbarri Development the rich connections between loss of the vessel and the fate of the metropolitan area and in Association and the Shire the Netherlands, South Africa, its survivors. the regions, and is particularly of Northampton should be Indonesia and Western Australia. Published by Geraldton Newspapers Pty Ltd. General Manager – Gerard Marquis. Editor – Alex McKinnon. Written and compiled by Gary Warner, with the valued assistance of Dr Michael ‘Mack’ McCarthy. Art direction – Eddie Lai and Richard Lindon PAGE 2 — ZUYTDORP 1712-2012 712-2012 Commemoration befi ts history Willem Andreae, fortunate for us. Netherlands The wreck has yielded a Ambassador wealth of objects, used for navigation, for life on board HE Netherlands has a and for doing business ashore. long history of maritime These objects tell a fascinating exploration, of which story about how people in we are all very proud. those days lived, functioned, In 1712 when the T communicated, did business Dutch East Indiaman Zuytdorp, and so on. carrying a crew of 282 and It also established a link three tons of newly minted silver between two towns at opposing coins, hit the rocks off the ends of the globe: Kalbarri in cliffs that now bear her name Western Australia, her fi nal near the present-day town of resting place, and Middelburg, Kalbarri, their disappearance the capital of the province was a mystery. of Zeeland from where she As there are no records departed on 1st August 1711. of what happened, we do not This 300-year anniversary is a know the exact date of her loss wonderful way to commemorate or what caused it. It is assumed that fateful moment in 1712. It that she was wrecked in the provides for an exciting meeting fi rst months of 1712 and there between different cultures and is strong evidence that at least hopefully lays the foundation part of her crew managed to get for a series of exchanges. I am ashore alive. happy that it is being celebrated While the loss of the Zuytdorp simultaneously in Kalbarri and was, in itself, a tragedy for her Middelburg. To me this is of crew and owners, the discovery special signifi cance, as I was of her wreckage has proven very born and raised in Middelburg. Willem Andreae, Ambassador of the Netherlands Loss and despair, hope and friendship Winthrop Professor Susan Broomhall, key to how crews dealt with with the name Leyden, found at ARC Centre of the History of Emotions, the trauma. Upper steersman Wale Well in 1990, suggests that UWA Abraham Leeman, who had been the survivors had arrived there, left behind by Captain Volkersen traded it with the local indigenous ZUYTDORP was the only Dutch on the Waekende Boei in 1658 population, or had perhaps been wreck off the WA coast from whilst searching ashore for the with them. which no survivors returned crew of the Vergulde Draeck, The VOC often encouraged to report its fate and to seek brought his men together to pray contact with the indigenous assistance; thus, no search was and “admonished them to keep populations; now it seems likely ever made for it by the Vereenigde God in mind and to beware of that the survival of the Dutch lay in Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). temptation for we were in great their hands. Lonely, afraid and a long way Winthrop Professor Susan Broomhall peril and God was the right When Pelsaert marooned two from home, we know from other steersman who could lead us crew members involved in the wreck survivors that VOC offi cials back. Some were moved by this, Batavia massacre he had left them is found in strange places; if God attempted to maintain morale by and they wept.” optimistic instructions regarding guards you, you will not suffer any continuing the rules of shipboard The Zuytdorp survivors built contact with the local peoples: “If damage from them but on the life, with its rules, regulations and a bonfi re hoping to attract the they take you into their Villages to contrary, because they have never documentation. attention of passing ships. A their chief men, have courage to seen any white men they will offer Religious beliefs were also brass tobacco box lid inscribed go with them willingly, Man’s luck all friendship.” ZUYTDORP 1712-2012 — PAGE 3 712-2012 Flagship of the spice trade The sailors found themselves Right: This detail on alone and lost in the swivel gun clearly a very strange displays the crest of the land ship’s owner, the VOC. HEN the Dutch sailing ship Zuytdorp crashed into what are today Wknown as the Zuytdorp Cliffs in 1712, it was a disaster that left the ship’s crew stranded in a strange and inhospitable land. Little is known about how and why the ship was wrecked, but we do know why the Zuytdorp was in such dangerous uncharted waters in the fi rst place. By the 16th century Europeans had developed a taste for spices — pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger, among others - which had to be carried vast distances over land from India, a market This perfectly cast bronze replica of one of Zuytdorp’s swivel guns is dsplayed that was closely controlled by in the Western Australian Museum - Geraldton. Venice. reached the point where Dias After he was crowned king seeking a western route actually Hope in 1488, but he sailed only had turned back — da Gama of Portugal in 1481, King John resulted in the discovery a short way up Africa’s eastern and his men were then sailing on II gave his sea captains a bold of America by Christopher coast. waters unknown to Europeans. order — fi nd a route to Asia. Columbus in 1492. Nine years later, on July They arrived on May 20th It was assumed that could be Bartolomeu Dias, a nobleman 8th 1497, Vasco da Gama left 1498 at the Indian port of done by sailing south and east of the Portuguese court, was fi rst Portugal with a fl eet of four Calicut, a major trading centre around the African continent, to sail round the Cape of Good ships and by December 16 had for spices, but were less than PAGE 4 — ZUYTDORP 1712-2012 712-2012 No thought of a health hazard occurred to the sailors who smoked tobacco in these clay pipes, recovered by WA Museum divers. Italian companies, cutting Dutch merchants completely out of the profi table trade. Not at all happy about that, the enterprising Dutch sent an expedition of their own in April 1595, learning that the Huge profits were East Indies (known today as Indonesia) was rich in spices. made from its spice A second convoy in 1598 returned with a hugely profi table monopoly through cargo of spices. This led to the formation in the 17th century 1602 of the Dutch East India Company (in Dutch its name was Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC). More signifi cant than it might competitor, the British East India seem, this was the fi rst company Company, with only 2690 ships in the world to issue shares, and and perhaps one-fi fth of the VOC had extraordinary powers tonnage of goods carried by the equal to any government. VOC. Under the terms of its charter, Huge profi ts were made from VOC could declare and wage its spice monopoly through the war, imprison and execute 17th century, most from the port convicts, negotiate treaties, it established in 1619 at Batavia produce its own currency and (now Jakarta). establish colonies. For almost 200 years the Now displayed in the Western Australian Museum - Geraldton, this carved timber None of its rivals in the Asian VOC paid its shareholders an sternpost was one of the fi rst Zuytdorp relics found, in 1927. Pictures: Gary Warner spice trade came even close 18% annual dividend, but it to the success of the VOC. went bankrupt as a result of warmly welcomed as the gifts spice trade, which it would do Between 1602 and 1796 the corruption and was dissolved in brought by da Gama for the king throughout the 16th century. company built and sailed an 1800. were considered unworthy. Antwerp in the Netherlands amazing 4785 ships, which took Before that happened, He failed to secure a became a major distribution to Europe well over two million fortunes had been made but commercial treaty, but Vasco centre for spices, but in 1591 tonnes of spices and other Asian many ships and lives were lost da Gama opened the way Portugal formed a syndicate trade goods.