2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the first Dutch contact with Western Australia. On 25 October 1616, Dutch VOC captain Dirk Hartog was the first known European to land on the coast of Western Australia with his ship the Eendracht. Near Cape Inscription,
on what is now called Dirk Hartog Island, in the Shark Bay area, Hartog left an inscripted pewter plate to mark his discovery; now considered the oldest known European object ever found on Australian soil. The crew sailed further north, to Batavia (nowadays Jakarta) and charted the coast, which they named after their ship; Eendrachtsland. Commemorations, celebrations and community activities will take place throughout Australia in 2016.
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