Nederlandse Australiërs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| 381,946 (by ancestry,2021)[1] (1.5% of theAustralian population) 66,481 (by birth,2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New South Wales,Victoria,Western Australia | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English,Dutch | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism (Calvinism),Catholicism,Irreligion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dutch people |
Dutch Australians (Dutch:Nederlandse Australiërs) refers toAustralians ofDutch ancestry. They form one of the largest groups of theDutch 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.[2] At the 2021 census, there were 66,481 Australian residents who were born in theNetherlands.[2]
The history of the Dutch and Australia began with CaptainWillem Janszoon, a Dutch seafarer, who was the first European to land on Australian soil (which he christened asNew Holland) in 1606.[3][4]
TheDutch East Indies Company (VOC) had its headquarters in the Far East inBatavia (nowJakarta) from 1619 but traded from many Asian harbours from 1602. The journey from the Netherlands to theDutch East Indies would take more than a year by traditional route, but after the discovery of theRoaring Forties by Dutch CaptainHendrick Brouwer, who established the so-called Brouwer Route in 1611, the voyage would be cut short by months by taking a trajectory along the southern latitudes of theIndian Ocean. By 1617 all VOC ships were ordered to take that route.
The navigation technique of that time, known asdead reckoning, caused some ships to travel too far east and 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 theBatavia, theVergulde Dreak, theZuytdorp and theZeewijk. The wreck of theBatavia onHoutman Abrolhos during her maiden voyage turned into a bloody mutiny, led byJeronimus Corneliszoon, after the survivors had landed on an island and Commander Pelsaert had left to get help. On his return, he court-marshalled the mutineers, some of whom were hanged. Wouter Loos and Jan Pelgrom the Bie were convicted mutineers, but because of their youth, they put on the mainland with some provisions to fend for themselves. They became arguably the first convicts to be dumped on the mainland.
The most famous Dutch seafarer to explore the Australian coasts isAbel Tasman, who was the first to circumvigate the continent, in 1642–1643. He established that the land was not the gigantic legendary southern continent that included the South Pole and named the landNew Holland.Tasmania, which Tasman had namedVan Diemens Land and theTasman Sea, were eventually named after him.
Most of the Australian coastline, excluding the east coast and the eastern part of the south coast, was first charted by VOC mariners. The continent would be renamed "Australia" in the 19th century.[citation needed]
A number of people from theDutch East Indies (present-dayIndonesia) found their way to Australia duringWorld War II 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 ofFremantle after the invasion ofJava. The jointNo. 18 andNo. 120RAAF 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. TheNetherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) was based in Melbourne during the war.[citation needed]
Post-war settlers in Australia arrived as part ofAustralia's assisted migration program. Many arrived by sea on theMSJohan van Oldenbarnevelt, while others flew withKLM.[citation needed]
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.[2] At the 2021 census, there were 66,481 Australian residents who were born in theNetherlands.[2]
Besides Netherlands, large number of Australians with Dutch Ancestry have origin fromSouth Africa,Indonesia andSri Lanka. These countries have had a long and extensive History ofDutch Colonialism.
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See also:Flemish people andFrisians | |
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