- Artefacts lent to the Shire of Northampton to commemorate 300 year anniversary of the Zuytdorp shipwreck
- Artefacts include rare porcelain and coins
- Excavating the Zuytdorp exhibition part of Zest Festival; a five year event leading up to the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dirk Hartog.
The Western Australian Museum has loaned 43 artefacts to the Shire of Northampton to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the wreck of Zuytdorp - a Dutch East India Ship lost in the winter of 1712 en route to Batavia (now Jakarta) from The Netherlands.
WA Museum Chief Executive Officer Alec Coles said the WA Museum is delighted to be working with the Shire of Northampton and the Kalbarri Development Association to tell this story.
The story of the wreck of the Zuytdorp and what befell its crew and passengers is an important and intriguing part of the long and dramatic history of shipwrecks off Western Australia’s rugged coastline,
Mr Coles said.
The WA Museum is always looking for opportunities to make the State’s collection available to local communities both in the metropolitan area and the regions, and is particularly pleased to be able to share the Excavating the Zuytdorp display of artefacts with the Shire of Northampton, in the beautiful town of Kalbarri.
The WA Museum is committed to continuing to commemorate the exploration of WA by the Dutch over the coming years in the lead up to the 400th anniversary of the Dirk Hartog landing at Cape Inscription in 2016.
The rare Zuytdorp artefacts are on loan to the Shire of Northampton until January 2013, and will be on public display in the entrance foyer of the Allen Centre on Grey Street, Kalbarri between 10am and 4pm daily, from June 2.
For more information about the WA Museum’s shipwreck collections and maritime archaeology work visit www.museum.wa.gov.au/research/research-areas/maritime-archaeology
For more information about the Excavating the Zuytdorp display and Zest Festival event visit http://zestfest.experiencekalbarri.com/
Media contact:
Niki Comparti,
Western Australian Museum,
9212 3840,
Niki.Comparti@museum.wa.gov.au
