Like everywhere else in Australia there is also a rich history of the Dutch in Queensland. Many Dutch people settled here after WWII. The Netherlands East Indies Government-in-Exile was based in Wacol, Brisbane and that also resulted in Dutch people staying or coming to Brisbane immediately after the war. In Read more
Born in Utrecht in the Netherlands in December 1918, Gerardus Dusseldorp was known as Dik as a child, the anglicised version of which stuck with him for the rest of his life. At the age of 15, he enrolled as a marine cadet, with the aim of becoming a captain Read more
The origins of the Brisbane Lions can be traced back to the founding of Hollandia-Inala F.C. by Dutch immigrants in 1957. From the beginning they were based on land in the Brisbane suburb of Darra and then moved to Pine Road, Richlands.
Personal story from Bert van Wijk. Source; 150 years Richlands, Inala & Neighbouring Suburbs in Brisbane’s South West by Vicki Mynott, 2009 See other personal stories.
Julius Tahija (13 July 1916 – 30 July 2002) was an Ambonese soldier, intelligence operative, politician and businessman whose remarkable wartime career linked the Netherlands East Indies, Australia and the Allied intelligence war against Japan. Serving with the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), he distinguished himself during the Japanese Read more
Nicholas Dijkstra tells the story about flying in formation under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In May 1942, two US ‘Kittyhawks’ flew under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Nobody had done that before! Several Dutch and Dutch East Indies KLM and KNILM pilots were to make a short flight over Sydney for Read more
Research by Domínguez-Delmás Daly and Flinders Associate Professor Wendy van Duivenvoorde, is carried out on Batavia’s wreck timbers, currently on display at the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle. Built in Amsterdam in 1628 CE and wrecked on its maiden voyage in June 1629 CE in Western Australian waters, Batavia epitomises Dutch East India Read more
The arrival of the RSV Nuyina, Australia’s state-of-the-art Antarctic icebreaker and research vessel, marks more than just a leap in polar capability—it also represents a powerful link between the Netherlands and Australia. Built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, a facility owned by the Dutch Damen Shipyards Group, this ship Read more
At the Shipwrecks Museum in WA a wooden boat building exhibition has opened. The Dutch Australian Foundation highlights the importance of wooden boat building in Western Australia and with it, marks the 25th anniversary of the construction of the Duyfken replica which is now in Sydney. This exhibition has been supported Read more
In 2021 an archaeological project was announced to investigate the site. Dutch partners in the project includes the Netherlands Ministry of Defence and is funded by the Netherlands Embassy. The project is supervised by Emeritus Professor Ian Lilley FSA FAHA (BA Hons, MA Qld, PhD ANU). Ian is an international Read more