Dutch Australians refers to

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the con ...

of Dutch ancestry. They form one of the largest groups of the Dutch diaspora outside Europe. At the 2021 census, 381,946 people nominated Dutch ancestry (whether alone or in combination with another ancestry), representing 1.5% of the Australian population. At the 2021 census, there were 66,481 Australian residents who were born in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

History

Early history

The history of the Dutch and Australia began with Captain

Willem Janszoon Willem Janszoon (; ), sometimes abbreviated to Willem Jansz., was a Dutch navigator and colonial governor. Janszoon served in the Dutch East Indies in the periods 16031611 and 16121616, including as governor of Fort Henricus on the island of ...

, a Dutch seafarer, who was the first European to land on Australian soil in 1606. The Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) had its headquarters in the Far East in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) from 1619, but traded from many Asian harbours from 1602. The journey from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies would take more than a year by traditional route, but after the discovery of the

Roaring Forties The Roaring Forties are strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The strong west-to-east air currents are caused by the combination of air being displaced from the Equator ...

by Dutch captain Hendrick Brouwer, who established the so-called Brouwer Route in 1611 the voyage would be cut short by months, taking a trajectory along the southern latitudes of the Indian Ocean. By 1617 all VOC ships were ordered to take this route. The navigation technique of that time, known as dead reckoning, caused some ships to travel too far east so they sighted the Australian west coast, and a small number of them were wrecked there. Dirk Hartog made the first European landing of the Australian west coast with a pewter plate in 1616. Known ships wrecked off that include the '' Batavia'', the '' Vergulde Dreak'', the '' Zuytdorp'' and the '' Zeewijk''. The wreck of the ''Batavia'' on Houtman Abrolhos during her maiden voyage, turned into a bloody mutiny led by Jeronimus Corneliszoon after the survivors had landed on an island and Commander Pelsaert had left to get help. The most famous Dutch seafarer to explore the Australian coasts is

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

, who was the first to circumvigate the continent in 1642–3. He established that the land was not the gigantic legendary southern continent that included the South Pole and he named it '' New Holland''.

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

which Tasman had named

Van Diemens Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

and the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...

were eventually named after him. Most of the Australian coastline was first charted by VOC mariners, excluding the east coast and the eastern part of the south coast. The continent would be renamed " Australia" in the 19th century.

20th century

Dutch Migrant 1954 MariaScholte=50000thToAustraliaPostWW2

A number of people from the Dutch East Indies (present-day

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

) found their way to Australia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and joined Allied forces in the fight against the Japanese. The Dutch East Indies government operated from Australia during the war. Free Dutch Submarines operated out of

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

after the invasion of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. The joint No. 18 and No. 120

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

squadrons formed at Canberra, and was a combined Dutch and Australian Squadron. It used B-25 Mitchell bombers, supplied by the Dutch Government before the war. The Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) was based in Melbourne during the war. Post-war settlers in Australia arrived as part of Australia's assisted migration program. Many arrived by sea on the MS ''Johan van Oldenbarnevelt'', while others flew with KLM.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, 381,946 people nominated Dutch ancestry (whether alone or in combination with another ancestry), representing 1.5% of the Australian population. At the 2021 census, there were 66,481 Australian residents who were born in the

Notable Dutch Australians

* Brendon Ah Chee, Australian rules footballer * Callum Ah Chee, Australian rules footballer * Leila Alcasid, singer and songwriter *

Beeb Birtles Beeb Birtles (born Gerard Bertelkamp, 28 November 1948) is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has been a member of various Australian groups including Zoot (1967–71), Mississippi (1972–74), Little River Band (1975� ...

, musician *

Andrew Bolt Andrew Bolt (born 26 September 1959) is an Australian right-wing social and political commentator. He has worked at the News Corp-owned newspaper company The Herald and Weekly Times (HWT) for many years, for both '' The Herald'' and its success ...

, political commentator * Dirk Bolt, architect * Stephanie Brantz, sports presenter * Paul Cox, filmmaker * Guillaume Daniel Delprat, GM BHP * Joe de Bruyn * Mitchell Langerak * Chris Vermeulen * Kate Langbroek, broadcaster and comedian * Dick Dusseldorp, filmmaker * John Elferink * Joanna Gash * Kurt Lambeck, geophysicist and glaciologist *

Rolf de Heer Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is a Dutch Australian film director. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in the Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old.

, filmmaker *

Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series '' Home and Away'' (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinem ...

, actor * Liam Hemsworth, actor * Annita Keating van Iersel * Hendrik (Hank) Koopman, country music artistthe book of Australian Country Music. The Berghouse Floyd Tuckey Publishing Company * Willy Lust, athlete * Gerlof Mees, ornithologist, curator, and ichthyologist * Dirk Nannes * Jan Ruff O'Herne, human rights activist * Ryan Papenhuyzen, rugby league player * Nonja Peters * Eric Roozendaal * Roy Rene, comedian & vaudevillian * Ben Rutten, Australian rules footballer * Alexander Smits * Harry Vanda * Richard Vandenberg, Australian rules footballer * Nathan Van Berlo, Australian rules footballer * Timm van der Gugten, cricketer * Paul Vander Haar * Michelle van Eimeren, former beauty queen and former actress and TV host in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

* Dan van Holst Pellekaan - 14th Deputy Premier of South Australia * Alfred van der Poorten, number theorist * Peter van Onselen, author & academic * Bert van Manen * Jan Hendrik Scheltema, artist * Tammy van Wisse * Tessa van Veenendaal, doctor *

Johnny Young Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong; 12 March 1947) is a Dutch Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. Originally from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, his family settled in Perth in the early ...

* Gus Winckel, military officer and pilot * Richard Woldendorp, photographer * John van Lieshout, Queensland's richest person, from furniture stores and real estate development

References

External links

Netherlands–Australia, 1606–2006

Dutch in Australia at the Australian War Memorial

Dutch Club in South Australia
{{Portal bar, Australia, Netherlands * Australia European Australian Immigration to Australia