Historic Hartog dish returns to WA 400 years on

• Dish marking 1616 landing to be reunited with 1697 plate

• Oldest known European object found in Australia comes back to WA

• State-funded commemorations invite West Australians to celebrate heritage 

The inscribed pewter dish left at Shark Bay by Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in 1616 will return to Western Australia, to mark the 400th anniversary of European contact.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the dish, usually kept on permanent display in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, would feature in the major international exhibition Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World at the WA Maritime Museum from the end of October.

"The Hartog dish is the oldest known European object found on Australian soil and it is very exciting to have it back," Mr Day said.

"Given the fragility of the dish, this will probably be the last time it travels to Australia.

"This will be a unique opportunity for West Australians and visitors to WA to share in a precious piece of history that marks the beginning of our enduring connections with the Dutch people and their culture.

"The exhibition will reveal how the Indian Ocean emerged as the world's first cultural super highway, spreading trade, wealth and ideas across the world, a role that continues today."

Dirk Hartog landed at what is now called Cape Inscription on October 25, 1616, leaving a pewter dish inscribed with details of his voyage nailed to a post.  By the time another Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh, landed at the same windswept spot in 1697 the dish had fallen down and de Vlamingh replaced it with a dish of his own, copying the Hartog script and adding his own words, then took the original dish which was eventually sent back to the Netherlands.

The de Vlamingh dish is part of the WA State Collection and is permanently on display at the museum's Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle.  The two dishes have only been displayed together once before, during Australia's 1988 bi-centenary celebration.

The Minister said the exhibition was a world-first, bringing together more than 100 paintings, sculptures and historical artefacts, many which had never been seen in Australia.

"Like those early mariners, Travellers and Traders will take visitors on a journey of discovery, introducing them to the rich heritage of the Indian Ocean and providing a unique understanding of WA's part in that story," he said.

"The exhibition has been created by the Western Australian Museum, in partnership with the British Museum, with support from the Rijksmuseum and other major lenders."

The Liberal National Government, through its Royalties for Regions program, has made a significant investment to mark the 400th anniversary, including supporting a five-day festival in Denham.

"Replicas of the Hartog and de Vlamingh dishes, along with interpretive signage, will be placed at Cape Inscription and unveiled on October 25," Mr Day said.

"With the Duyfken replica now in Bunbury, part-way through her 70-day commemorative voyage to Denham, I encourage everyone to discover an important chapter of our shared history."

Travellers and Traders will be on display at the WA Maritime Museum from October 31, 2016 until April 2017.

Fact File

• Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World brings together precious objects from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the British Museum, the art galleries of South Australia and New South Wales, Museum Victoria, the Berndt Museum at The University of WA and the WA Museum, as well as private collections, including the Kerry Stokes Collection

• The exhibition has been supported by the Government of the Netherlands and Shell Australia

• For information and tickets, visit http://www.museum.wa.gov.au  

• The five-day Dirk Hartog Voyage of Discovery: Shark Bay 1616 Festival, hosted by the Shire of Shark Bay, runs from October 21 to 25

• The Duyfken is open for tours at Bunbury (until September 4), Mandurah (September 5-14), Hillarys (September 15-27), Jurien Bay (September 29-October 3), Dongara (October 4-7), Geraldton (October 8-15) and Denham (October 19-24)

• For more information about the State Government-funded celebrations, visit http://www.dpc.wa.gov.au 

Minister's office - 6552 6200