Dutch migrants help shape a growing coastal community
In the years following the Second World War, thousands of Dutch migrants arrived in Australia in search of new opportunities. Many brought skills in engineering, construction, manufacturing and agriculture, while others came with their families hoping to establish a better future after the upheavals of wartime Europe.
Victoria’s Geelong region became an important destination for these newcomers. Its expanding industries offered employment, while nearby coastal settlements such as Torquay provided opportunities for families to build homes and establish themselves in Australian society.
Among those who settled in Torquay during the 1950s were the Koopmans, Van den Hurk, Van den Dungen and Van ‘t Hag families. Their stories, preserved through local recollections, offer a glimpse into the contribution Dutch migrants made to the development of this coastal community.
Another Dutch migrant who eventually made Torquay his home was Dirk (Dick) van Teulingen, whose remarkable life connected wartime Europe, Dutch engineering expertise and post-war Australia.
Together, these stories illustrate how migration, employment, housing, education, sport and family relationships helped transform a small seaside town into a more diverse community.
Why Dutch migrants came to the Geelong region
The post-war expansion of Geelong’s industrial economy created substantial opportunities for skilled European migrants.
One of the most significant projects was the construction of the Shell oil refinery, which involved the Dutch engineering company Werkspoor. The project commenced in 1952, and the refinery opened in March 1954.
Werkspoor’s involvement brought Dutch engineering expertise to the region. Contemporary reports referred to plans to recruit several hundred Dutch specialists for the project, which involved workers from numerous countries.
The refinery was part of a wider period of industrial development in Geelong, creating employment opportunities in engineering, construction, manufacturing and associated trades.
For Dutch migrants, Geelong offered the prospect of employment and an established regional centre with shops, schools, services and developing migrant networks.
Torquay, approximately 21 kilometres away by road, offered a different environment. During the early 1950s, the seaside settlement was expanding, with new residential subdivisions and houses appearing as the town developed beyond its traditional holiday character.
Although the precise employment histories of Torquay’s early Dutch families have yet to be established, the relationship between Geelong’s industrial growth and settlement in surrounding communities provides an important background to their experiences.
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre has documented this wider history in its articles on the Dutch in Geelong, Werkspoor Australia and the history of Shell in Australia.
Building a home in Torquay – the Koopmans family
One of the earliest Dutch families remembered in Torquay was the Koopmans family.
According to recollections collected by Cheryl Baulch of Torquay Museum Without Walls, the family settled in the town during the early 1950s.
Mr Koopmans reportedly brought a kit home from the Netherlands, along with his traditional Dutch wooden clogs, and constructed the family’s house in Beales Street.
This is a particularly interesting example of the practical approach many Dutch migrants took to establishing themselves in Australia.
Housing was a major challenge during the post-war years, and migrants often relied on their own skills, family labour and building experience to create a permanent home.
The Koopmans family consisted of the parents and three children: Marianne, Kitty and Kees, also remembered as Casey.
All three children reportedly attended Torquay Primary School. Marianne later married John Keane, an Australian, and remained connected with the local community.
The family’s story illustrates how migration involved much more than arriving in a new country. It meant establishing a household, finding employment, educating children and gradually building relationships within an unfamiliar community.
The reported Dutch kit home is particularly worthy of further investigation. If photographs or building records survive, they could provide a valuable insight into the early housing history of Torquay.
Growing up Dutch in an Australian seaside town
For the children of Dutch migrants, adapting to life in Torquay involved learning a new language, attending Australian schools and forming friendships outside their own migrant communities.
A published collection of memories of Torquay State School provides an important glimpse into this period.
Former teacher Pat Briody (Garner), who began teaching at the school in 1950, recalled the presence of displaced children, including Dutch and Polish pupils. Some had experienced the disruptions and hardships of war, while others faced the challenge of adjusting to a new country and education system.
These recollections help place the experiences of the Koopmans children and other Dutch migrant families in a wider historical setting.
Schools were often among the first places where migrant and Australian families developed lasting connections.
Children generally acquired English more quickly than their parents and became familiar with Australian customs through their classmates, teachers and sporting activities.
For many families, this helped bridge the gap between maintaining their Dutch heritage at home and participating in the wider Australian community.
The memories recorded by Torquay State School also demonstrate the importance of preserving local histories that might otherwise disappear as the post-war generation passes away.
Dutch skills and local businesses – the Van den Dungen family
As Torquay developed, skilled tradespeople played an important role in building houses and providing the services required by a growing residential community.
Among the Dutch families remembered locally was the Van den Dungen family, associated with the plumbing trade.
According to recollections passed to Torquay Museum Without Walls, a member of the family built a home in Boston Road and worked as a plumber. The trade reportedly continued within the family in a subsequent generation.
Although further details remain to be established, the account reflects an important aspect of Dutch migration to Australia.
Many migrants arrived with practical skills acquired in the Netherlands and applied them in Australian industries and communities experiencing rapid post-war growth.
Builders, plumbers, electricians, mechanics and other skilled workers contributed not only to major industrial projects but also to the everyday development of suburban and regional Australia.
The Van den Dungen family provides a potential example of how these skills became part of Torquay’s local economy.
Further research may reveal the name and history of the family’s plumbing business and whether it continued over several generations.
Football, friendship and integration – the Van den Hurk family
Sport was another important way in which Dutch migrants became involved in Australian community life.
In Geelong, Dutch migrants established their own soccer clubs during the 1950s, including Shell, Olympia and DSG (Dutch Society Geelong).
These clubs offered opportunities to play a familiar sport, maintain friendships with fellow migrants and establish relationships with the wider community.
Football was particularly important for many Dutch migrants, who had grown up with the game in the Netherlands.
The DACC has documented the wider history of these clubs in its article Clogball: Remembering the 38 Dutch Football Clubs of Australia.
Against this background, the recollections of the Van den Hurk family in Torquay are especially interesting.
Two brothers, Ron and Eric Van den Hurk, are remembered as talented football players who began in junior competitions and later became associated with football in Geelong.
It has not yet been established whether they played soccer or Australian rules football, or which clubs they represented.
If they were soccer players, their story might provide a direct link between Torquay’s Dutch families and the Dutch football clubs established in Geelong during the 1950s.
Another family member, Anton, also remembered as Burt, reportedly studied medicine and subsequently practised in Torquay.
The family’s story potentially illustrates how the children of Dutch migrants became established in sporting, professional and community life.
Further details about the brothers’ sporting careers and Anton’s medical practice would help document their contribution more fully.
Family connections across Torquay and Jan Juc – the Van ‘t Hag family
As Dutch migrants settled into Australian life, marriages, friendships and community relationships gradually connected them with families already established in the district.
One such example was the Van ‘t Hag family.
According to local recollections, Ron Van ‘t Hag married Marianne Bendle, whose family had early connections with nearby Jan Juc.
Their marriage reflects the personal relationships through which migrant families became part of the wider community.
While Dutch migrants often maintained close connections with their own cultural networks, their children increasingly formed friendships and relationships across different backgrounds.
Over time, these family connections became part of the social fabric of Torquay and surrounding communities.
Further research into the Van ‘t Hag and Bendle families may help establish their migration and settlement history and their contribution to local community life.
Dick van Teulingen – from Dutch dredging to a life in Torquay
Another Dutch migrant who eventually settled in Torquay was Dirk (Dick) van Teulingen (1925–2026).
His story provides a different perspective on the Dutch migration movement that brought skilled workers to Australia during the post-war years.
Born in Barsingerhorn in the Netherlands on 8 July 1925, Dick experienced the hardships of the German occupation during the Second World War.
In late 1944, he was rounded up and taken to Germany, where he endured imprisonment and forced labour.
After the war, Dick worked in the Dutch shipbuilding and dredging industry.
In 1950, he travelled to Australia as part of the recruitment of Dutch workers for major dredging projects.
Dutch dredging companies and their employees played an important role in Australia’s post-war infrastructure development, bringing specialised equipment and engineering expertise from the Netherlands.
Dick subsequently established his life in Australia, married Linda and eventually settled in Torquay.
He became a keen supporter of the Geelong Cats, reflecting his attachment to the region that became his home.
Dick lived to the age of 100 and died in 2026.
His life illustrates the extraordinary journeys undertaken by many Dutch migrants of his generation: from wartime occupation and displacement to rebuilding their lives in a country on the other side of the world.
His story is documented in greater detail in the DACC article Dick van Teulingen (1925–2026): War, Dredging and a New Life in Australia.
The wider history of the dredging workers is covered in From Sliedrecht to Williamstown – Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia.
A Dutch community connected across Geelong and Torquay
The experiences of these families demonstrate how Dutch migration contributed to regional Australian communities in different ways.
Geelong’s industrial development attracted skilled workers and created opportunities for Dutch migrants to establish themselves in the region. The involvement of Dutch companies such as Werkspoor in the construction of the Shell refinery illustrates the important role Dutch engineering and technical expertise played in Australia’s post-war industrial expansion.
At the same time, Dutch social and sporting organisations helped newcomers maintain connections with their homeland while building new friendships and community networks. The Dutch soccer clubs in Geelong were one example of this process.
Nearby Torquay provided opportunities for families to establish homes, raise children, practise trades and participate in local life.
The Koopmans family’s homebuilding, the Van den Dungen family’s plumbing activities, the Van den Hurk family’s sporting and professional achievements, and the Van ‘t Hag family’s connections with established local families illustrate different aspects of this settlement experience.
Dick van Teulingen’s story adds another dimension, demonstrating how Dutch workers recruited for major Australian infrastructure projects could eventually establish their family lives in regional communities.
These families did not necessarily arrive through the same migration arrangements, nor is there evidence that all were connected with the Shell refinery or Werkspoor. Nevertheless, their stories form part of the wider history of Dutch settlement in the Geelong–Torquay region.
Over the following decades, the distinction between Dutch migrants and the wider Australian community gradually became less pronounced. Their children grew up in Australian schools, participated in local sport, entered professions and trades, and established families of their own.
What began as the experience of individual migrant families became part of the shared history of Torquay.
Preserving Torquay’s Dutch-Australian heritage
Much of the history of Dutch settlement in Torquay remains preserved in family memories, private photograph collections, school records and local historical archives.
The recollections collected by Cheryl Baulch of Torquay Museum Without Walls have provided a valuable starting point for documenting this history.
They also raise further questions about the families involved, their origins in the Netherlands, their arrival in Australia and their contribution to the development of Torquay.
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre hopes to build on this information through collaboration with local historical organisations and descendants of the early migrant families.
We would particularly welcome information about the Koopmans, Van den Hurk, Van den Dungen and Van ‘t Hag families, as well as other Dutch migrants who settled in Torquay and Jan Juc during the post-war decades.
Photographs of early family homes, migration documents, school photographs, sporting records, business histories and personal recollections would all be valuable additions.
We are also interested in learning whether any Torquay families were connected with the Dutch engineering and industrial activities in Geelong, including Werkspoor and Shell, or participated in the region’s Dutch sporting and social organisations.
By collecting and preserving these stories, we hope to ensure that the contribution of Dutch migrants to Torquay and the wider Surf Coast region remains part of Australia’s historical record.
Sources and further reading
Local history and family recollections
- Cheryl Baulch, Torquay Museum Without Walls, correspondence with the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre, October 2026.
- Torquay Museum Without Walls
- Torquay and District Historical Society – Family Histories
- Memories, Memories, Memories – Torquay State School history
Related Dutch Australian Cultural Centre articles
- The Dutch in Geelong
- Werkspoor Australia
- The history of Shell in Australia – since 1901
- Clogball: Remembering the 38 Dutch Football Clubs of Australia
- Dick van Teulingen (1925–2026): War, Dredging and a New Life in Australia
- From Sliedrecht to Williamstown – Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia
Acknowledgement
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre gratefully acknowledges Cheryl Baulch and Torquay Museum Without Walls for sharing local recollections and helping identify Dutch families associated with Torquay.
This article is part of an ongoing effort to document Dutch migration and settlement in regional Australia. Some family details are based on oral recollections and remain subject to further verification.
