Of an estimated 200 place names the Dutch bestowed on Australian localities in the 17th century as a result of the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

voyages of exploration along the western, northern and southern Australian coasts, only about 35 can still be found on current maps. Five out of six names were either renamed or forgotten or their locations were lost.Jan Tent
Geographic and Linguistic Reflections on Moent and Dubbelde Ree: Two of Australia’s First Recorded Placenames
, ''Geographical Research'' 44(4):372–385 Other places were named after the early Dutch explorers by later British explorers or colonists, for instance the Australian state of

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

is named after

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 ...

. Australia itself was called New Holland by the English and Nieuw Holland by the Dutch.

Places named by the Dutch

Queensland

The Dutch charted the western side of

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupació ...

and the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

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 S ...

made the first recorded European landfall in Australia during the

Janszoon voyage of 1605-6 Janszoon usually abbreviated to Jansz was a Dutch patronym ("son of Jan"). While Janse, Janssens, and especially Jansen and Janssen, are very common surnames derived from this patronym, the form Jansz is quite rare and Janszoon itself does not e ...

Renamed

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Tasmania

Places named after the Dutch

Other places were given Dutch names by later explorers or colonists in honour of the Dutch. These include: * Duyfken Point - near

Weipa Weipa () is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland. It is the largest town on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is mainly invol ...

where

first sighted the Australian coast in 1606. *

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

- Australian state, along wit
31 other places
with the name of Tasman in Tasmania * Mount Heemskirk and Mount Zeehan - named by

George Bass George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia. Early years Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George ...

and Matthew Flinders after Abel Tasman's ships ''Heemskerck'' and ''Zeehaen'' in 1798. It is near where Tasman first sighted Tasmania. The township of

Zeehan, Tasmania Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater ...

near Mount Zeehan was established after the discovery of tin, lead and silver deposits in 1890. * Geelvink Channel was named after a ship, but the ship was named after Joan Geelvinck * Vansittart Bay on the coast of Western Australia is a unique anomaly. It was named by

Phillip Parker King Rear Admiral Phillip Parker King, FRS, RN (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Ann ...

after Nicholas Vansittart, who was an English politician of Dutch descent.

References

Sources

Project Gutenberg, Abel Tasman's Journal

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Places With Dutch Names

Dutch language lists Maritime history of the Dutch East India Company Dutch-Australian culture