Maritime History
Dutch Navy involved in the search for the sunken HMAS Sydney in 1941
On 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney, an Australian light cruiser, was engaged in a naval battle with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia. During the battle, both ships were sunk, with the loss of all Read more…
Maritime History
The Dutch and USA’s 7th Fleet
The United States 7th Fleet is responsible for operations in the Western Pacific Ocean. It was formed on March 15, 1943, in Brisbane, Australia, during World War II. The fleet was initially commanded by Vice Admiral Arthur S. Carpender, and Read more…
Aviation and Shipping
Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij- Australian operation launched in 1912
De Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM – Royal Packet Navigation Company – was established in 1888 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The company was created by merging several smaller Dutch shipping companies that were operating in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). KPM’s Read more…
Aviation and Shipping
The Dutch at Batchelor Airport in the Northern Territory
Batchelor Airport is a former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base located in Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia. The base was established in 1942 during World War II and was used primarily as a bomber base for the RAAF’s No. 1 Read more…
Military and Political History
Royal Netherlands Navy Wireless Telegraphy Station Batchelor, NT and Craigieburn, Vic.
Dutch message re upcoming Pearl Harbour attack was ignored. Identifying Japan as a potential aggressor, in the thirties the Dutch tried to strengthen their intelligence capability. In 1932 the Royal Netherlands Navy set up a radio intercept unit to monitor Read more…
Maritime History
A short overview of the Dutch exploration of Torres Strait
Scroll down and a map shows up with New Guinea connected to Australia but a small missing part on that map shows where in this perspective the Torres Strait could have been. See also: The Colonial Warship the Doerga explored Read more…
Maritime History
Proposal to establish a Dutch settlement in South Australia (1717)
Jean Pierre Purry was a Swiss explorer who presented a plan to the Dutch Governor General of the Dutch East Indies in Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) in 1717 to establish a settlement in Australia. His plan was to settle in Read more…
Dutch Organisations
Jan Logeman and Juliana Village – Sydney
Juliana Village in Miranda in Sydney’s South came about thanks largely to the vision and drive of one man: Johan (Jan, John) Logeman (more info on Jan in the pdf below). The idea was born when he he was recovering Read more…
Migration history
Christian Reformed Churches of Australia
The Reformed Church in Australia (RCA) has its roots in the Dutch Reformed Churches. These have their origin in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. These Churches became one of the dominant religious and cultural institutions in the Netherlands. Read more…