The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) and Badan Pelestarian Pusaka Indonesia (BPPI) – the Indonesian Heritage Trust – have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a framework for cooperation focused on the shared heritage of Indonesia and the Netherlands in Australia. The agreement recognises that the histories of Indonesia Read more
Introduction Among the most tangible reminders of the dramatic Dutch wartime presence in Western Australia is a salvaged engine from a Dornier Do-24 flying boat, now preserved in the Broome Historical Museum. Recovered decades after the Japanese air raid on Broome in March 1942, this artefact provides a rare physical 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
Dutch passenger liner Oranje was built in 1939 build by the Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Maatschappij and was at the time one of the most modern ones in operation. However, its operation as a liner was cut short by the war in Europe. The ship was able to flee to Surabaya in 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
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
In her book Zoals het leven komt, Dutch author Michelle Visser explores family secrets and their impact on family relationships, and Dutch migration to Australia after the Second World War. The book was published in 2021 by Uitgeverij Boekerij; its title translates loosely into English as ‘As life comes’. Plot Read more
Early life in the Netherlands Cornelis Antonie de Jong was born in 1916 in Asperen, a small rural town along the river Linge. He grew up in a family marked by poverty, limited formal education, and the social pressures of interwar Dutch society. Work was often seasonal or insecure, schooling Read more
A Dutch-Australian gateway to post-war settlement Between 1948 and 1952, the former army camp at Kelso near Bathurst operated as one of Australia’s largest migrant reception and training centres. Originally constructed during the Second World War for military purposes, the site was repurposed to receive European migrants arriving under Australia’s Read more