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Dampier, the Dutch and the Great South Land: The story of how Dutch sailors found Australia and an English pirate almost beat Captain Cook
The extraordinary story of how Dutch sailors found Australia and an English pirate almost beat Captain Cook
Rob Mundle is back on the water with another sweeping and powerful account of Australian maritime history. It is the story of 17th-century European mariners - sailors, adventurers and explorers - who became transfixed by the idea of the existence of a Great South ‘Terra Australis Incognita'. Rob takes you aboard the tiny ship, Duyfken, in 1606 when Dutch navigator and explorer, Willem Janszoon, and his 20-man crew became the first Europeans to discover Australia - on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the decades that followed, more Dutch mariners, like Hartog, Tasman, and Janszoon (for a second time), discovered and mapped the majority of the coast of what would become Australia. Yet, incredibly, the Dutch made no effort to lay claim to it, or establish any settlements. This process began with British explorer and former pirate William Dampier on the west coast in 1688, and by the time Captain Cook arrived in 1770, all that was to be done was chart the east coast and claim what the Dutch had discovered.
Rob Mundle is back on the water with another sweeping and powerful account of Australian maritime history. It is the story of 17th-century European mariners - sailors, adventurers and explorers - who became transfixed by the idea of the existence of a Great South ‘Terra Australis Incognita'. Rob takes you aboard the tiny ship, Duyfken, in 1606 when Dutch navigator and explorer, Willem Janszoon, and his 20-man crew became the first Europeans to discover Australia - on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the decades that followed, more Dutch mariners, like Hartog, Tasman, and Janszoon (for a second time), discovered and mapped the majority of the coast of what would become Australia. Yet, incredibly, the Dutch made no effort to lay claim to it, or establish any settlements. This process began with British explorer and former pirate William Dampier on the west coast in 1688, and by the time Captain Cook arrived in 1770, all that was to be done was chart the east coast and claim what the Dutch had discovered.
304 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
About the author
Rob Mundle
31 books33 followersRob Mundle is the author of the highly acclaimed international bestseller Fatal Storm. He has written six other books, including the bestselling Sir James Hardy: An Adventurous Life, Alan Bond’s authorised biography,Bond, and Life at the Extreme, the official record of the 2005/2006 Volvo Ocean Race round the world. He lives in Main Beach, Queensland.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 3, 2021
Where would I be without Rob Mundle? This is the fifth of his sailing books I have read and, as long as he continues to write them, I will continue to read.
All Australians grow up learning about Dirk Hartog, Abel Tasman and William Dampier, but Rob Mundle brings them to life. He could make a carburetor interesting. His innovative and original descriptions of life at sea, of storms, waterspouts, cyclones and the terrifying Roaring Forties are so vivid that I succumbed to sea sickness on several occasions. Likewise, one is struck by Mundle's portrayal of the arrogance of successive Dutch governors who, not receiving gold, silk and spices from the adventures of their mariners, disparaged their far more significant achievements of solving the mystery of the Great South Land.
The one thing that upset me was the lot of the poor wives left behind by their seafaring husbands. At one stage Dampier left his wife for his first love for over twelve years. Abel Tasman wins the Peace Prize for actually bringing his out from Holland.
All Australians grow up learning about Dirk Hartog, Abel Tasman and William Dampier, but Rob Mundle brings them to life. He could make a carburetor interesting. His innovative and original descriptions of life at sea, of storms, waterspouts, cyclones and the terrifying Roaring Forties are so vivid that I succumbed to sea sickness on several occasions. Likewise, one is struck by Mundle's portrayal of the arrogance of successive Dutch governors who, not receiving gold, silk and spices from the adventures of their mariners, disparaged their far more significant achievements of solving the mystery of the Great South Land.
The one thing that upset me was the lot of the poor wives left behind by their seafaring husbands. At one stage Dampier left his wife for his first love for over twelve years. Abel Tasman wins the Peace Prize for actually bringing his out from Holland.
December 4, 2021
Great fan of anything about buccaneers, exploration of the Pacific, and the spice trade. Mundle has an engaging writing style, and it's great to see him write on William Dampier (somewhat forgotten thanks to Capt James Cook).
May 16, 2022
This covered not just Dampier but the other Dutch explorers like Janz and Tasman, I have read another book about Dampier which I enjoyed more and couldn't help comparing this with that. But it was good to learn more about Tasman and the other Dutch explorers.
October 22, 2020
A wondrous tale of amazing maritime exploration.
January 13, 2021
Fabulous in every way. I learnt so much I didn’t know and was able to revisit some past pleasures - like the Batavia story. Very keen to read more of Rob’s books.
April 21, 2018
I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in maritime exploration, especially searches for the Great South Land. It is an easy read by an accomplished storyteller, a former journalist with a long list of books to his credit.
Even if the above is not your thing, you would have at least vaguely heard of Abel Tasman, the Dutch East Indies, Australia and New Zealand. This book will enjoyably join a lot of dots for you, along with the amazing life story of William Dampier, pirate, amateur naturalist and first mapper of the world's tides. If I could rate the book 3 and a half stars, I would.
Why not four? I have a grounding in historiography and that causes me to have some quibbles. Firstly, the book is not referenced; that may not bother a lot of people but even popular histories usually have sources for each chapter listed at the end.
Secondly, the book is a bit unbalanced in content. From the title, one might expect the focus throughout to be on the Great South Land and its exploration. Well, most of it is, but over 100 pages out of 270 are about Dampier, who had a facsinating life story but a good deal of it does not relate to the Australia.
Thirdly, I have some concerns with some of Mundle's comments under 'Author's Notes'. While it is admirable that he used many original accounts for his research, it is worrying that he cites Wikipedia as providing "a mass of information". Wikipedia is NOT regarded by trained historians or even its founder as being a rigorous source of information - anyone can write anything on it. Perhaps it was a Wiki article that caused the author to devote over a page to a far-fetched claim that the ancient Egyptians may have reached Australia before Europeans did in the 17th century.
Further, Mundle claims that the British did not settle Australia for any strategic reason, but only as a repository for convicts. However, as the Home Secretary of the day wrote, settlement would also be "a means of preventing the emigration Our European Neighbours to those parts". Other reasons expressed at the time included facilitating trade with China, being a base for maritime exploration, being close to ships' timber and flax from New Zealand, and Australia furnishing "Matter of advantageous Return". All these factors can be regarded as strategic (and have been taught in Aussie schools for over three decades now).
Still, don't let me put you off reading this as a primer on exploration in the 'South Seas'.
Even if the above is not your thing, you would have at least vaguely heard of Abel Tasman, the Dutch East Indies, Australia and New Zealand. This book will enjoyably join a lot of dots for you, along with the amazing life story of William Dampier, pirate, amateur naturalist and first mapper of the world's tides. If I could rate the book 3 and a half stars, I would.
Why not four? I have a grounding in historiography and that causes me to have some quibbles. Firstly, the book is not referenced; that may not bother a lot of people but even popular histories usually have sources for each chapter listed at the end.
Secondly, the book is a bit unbalanced in content. From the title, one might expect the focus throughout to be on the Great South Land and its exploration. Well, most of it is, but over 100 pages out of 270 are about Dampier, who had a facsinating life story but a good deal of it does not relate to the Australia.
Thirdly, I have some concerns with some of Mundle's comments under 'Author's Notes'. While it is admirable that he used many original accounts for his research, it is worrying that he cites Wikipedia as providing "a mass of information". Wikipedia is NOT regarded by trained historians or even its founder as being a rigorous source of information - anyone can write anything on it. Perhaps it was a Wiki article that caused the author to devote over a page to a far-fetched claim that the ancient Egyptians may have reached Australia before Europeans did in the 17th century.
Further, Mundle claims that the British did not settle Australia for any strategic reason, but only as a repository for convicts. However, as the Home Secretary of the day wrote, settlement would also be "a means of preventing the emigration Our European Neighbours to those parts". Other reasons expressed at the time included facilitating trade with China, being a base for maritime exploration, being close to ships' timber and flax from New Zealand, and Australia furnishing "Matter of advantageous Return". All these factors can be regarded as strategic (and have been taught in Aussie schools for over three decades now).
Still, don't let me put you off reading this as a primer on exploration in the 'South Seas'.
January 4, 2019
I love Rob Mundle’s writings of our early Australian explorers and their hardships and discoveries. He writes very interestingly of all things maritime and pieces together the narrative in an enthralling way. All I learnt at school was that Dampier was a pirate which paints his achievements in a negative light. We were not taught about how valuable his writings were to science and exploration.
I also thought that Selkirk had been shipwrecked.
What meagre little craft all these exploits were undertaken in and what skill Dampier had at navigation and seamanship. I would love to meet him.
The great south seas are certainly not without hazard and jeopardy.
I also didn’t know much about the Dutch in the southern oceans either.
Mapping is a skill added to over the centuries
I also thought that Selkirk had been shipwrecked.
What meagre little craft all these exploits were undertaken in and what skill Dampier had at navigation and seamanship. I would love to meet him.
The great south seas are certainly not without hazard and jeopardy.
I also didn’t know much about the Dutch in the southern oceans either.
Mapping is a skill added to over the centuries
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews