Jan (John) Mees, a longstanding volunteer and representative of the Dutch-Australian community in New South Wales, passed away at Abel Tasman Village on 1 August 2026, aged 97. Born in Amersfoort in the Netherlands on 10 December 1928, Jan subsequently made his home in Australia. He lived for many years Read more
A group photograph taken aboard the Netherlands hospital ship Oranje in Sydney on 2 March 1943 records a little-known connection between one of the most celebrated Dutch ships of the Second World War and one of Australia’s greatest maritime tragedies. Within weeks of the photograph being taken, 28 Australian personnel Read more
In August 2026, the Monbulk District Historical Society published From the Lowlands to the Ranges – Celebrating Dutch Heritage in the Monbulk District. The book brings together more than 50 stories of Dutch families who settled in Monbulk and the surrounding Dandenong Ranges, recording their migration journeys, early experiences in Read more
During the Second World War, Dutch, Australian and Indonesian personnel worked together in a little-known series of clandestine operations against Japanese forces occupying the Netherlands East Indies. Their activities were organised through the Netherlands East Indies Section of the Inter-Allied Services Department (IASD), a secret Australian-based organisation responsible for intelligence Read more
When people think of Dutch companies in Australia, names such as Philips, Shell often come to mind. Yet another Dutch company has quietly become one of the most important technology businesses in the world. ASML, founded in the Netherlands in 1984, designs and manufactures the highly sophisticated lithography systems used Read more
In June 2026, representatives of the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) and the Camp Columbia Heritage Association (CCHA) visited the Netherlands as guests of the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE – Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands). While Camp Columbia formed the central focus of the visit, the discussions Read more
A DACC Research Series on Australia’s Post-war Migrant Reception Centres and Hostels Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived in Australia under the Commonwealth’s assisted migration schemes. For many, their first experience of Australia was not a suburban home or country town, but a Read more
Scroll down to read the announcement in Dutch. The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) is pleased to announce the beginning of a collaborative relationship with the Online Indisch Museum in the Netherlands, creating a new opportunity to strengthen awareness of the shared heritage that connects Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia. Read more
For centuries the Dutch connection with Australia has largely been told through stories of exploration, trade and shipwrecks. Dutch navigators were the first Europeans to chart much of Australia’s coastline, leaving traces of their journeys scattered along the continent’s shores. Today, those stories continue to be uncovered and interpreted through Read more
When we think about the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Government-in-Exile during the Second World War, our attention naturally turns to Camp Columbia, the Dutch administration at Wacolin Brisbane and the military activities at Archerfield. These have become well-known chapters in the history of the Dutch presence in Australia. Yet one Read more