he Broome Historical Museum preserves one of Australia’s most important collections relating to the Japanese air raid on Broome on 3 March 1942 and the Dutch and Netherlands East Indies evacuees caught in the attack. Operated by the Broome Historical Society, the museum occupies Broome’s former Customs House and adjoining Read more
IA Dutch flying boat remembered: the Dornier Do 24 engine at Broome A radial engine and propeller from a Dutch Dornier Do 24K flying boat are preserved at the Broome Historical Museum in Western Australia. Recovered from Roebuck Bay during the late 1970s, the artefact is a tangible reminder of Read more
In an article published in The Sunday Mail on 19 January 2025, journalist Jayne Keogh reflects on the long and often under-recognised contribution of Dutch migrants, soldiers and officials to the development of Queensland. The story places this shared history in a broader timeline that begins in 1606, when the Read more
The Dutch passenger liner Oranje became one of the most important hospital ships serving Australian and New Zealand forces during the Second World War. Offered by the Netherlands Government-in-Exile for Allied use in 1941, she completed 41 wartime voyages, travelled more than 382,000 nautical miles and carried 32,461 sick and Read more
The wartime story of Jan Bakker and his family The story of Johannes (Jan) Bakker and his wife Maria van Rijswijk is one of war, separation, loss and rebuilding across continents. It begins in the Netherlands in the late 1930s, moves to the Netherlands East Indies during the final years Read more
Introduction The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme occupies a central place in Australia’s postwar history. Conceived as a nation-building project, it reshaped Australia’s energy and water systems while simultaneously transforming the country’s demographic profile. Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, the Scheme attracted tens of thousands of workers, the majority Read more
The story of the Van der Woude family reflects the experience of many Dutch migrants who helped shape Tasmania’s post-war development. Through small business enterprise, church involvement and later civic leadership, successive generations of the family became part of the social and economic fabric of the state. War-time beginnings and Read more
Samanuddin was born in 1906 in Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh), then part of British India. He later served as a seaman in the Netherlands Merchant Navy. Like many Asian sailors recruited by Dutch shipping companies during the interwar and wartime years, he became part of the multinational crews that operated Read more
In February 2026, I visited Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, what I would unhesitatingly describe as the Dutch Cultural Centre of New Zealand. It is located in Foxton, approximately 160 kilometres north of Wellington, and sits directly on the banks of the Manawatū River, the geographical and historical lifeline of the Read more
The North American B-25 Mitchell N5-128 was one of the early aircraft operated by No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF during its formative period in Australia in World War II. Arriving during 1942, N5-128 formed part of the initial group of B-25 bombers that arrived at Archerfield Airport in Read more