Abel Tasman - Why did they go?Abel Tasman - Why did they go? 

Let's find out!

The north-west, west and south-west coast of the Unknown South Land, from Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to the centre of the Great Australian Bight in South Australia, had been charted by Dutch ships between 1606 and 1628. But the puzzle was far from complete!

Tasman hoped to find new lands, useful resources and profitable trading opportunities. He aimed to help complete the Dutch map of the Unknown South Land, to find a possible sea route to South America, and to identify fertile countries whose people could trade valuable goods with the Dutch.

Read on further to learn more about what the Dutch knew about Australia in the mid-17th century, the important people on the voyages, and for classroom activities.

[icon] The Dutch East India Company was a powerful trading company from north-western Europe, in the country we now call the Netherlands. Its Dutch name was Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC for short. 

The VOC began in 1602 and spent almost 200 years sailing goods between Asia and Europe. These trips were huge journeys and could take years, so ships stopped at ports to trade, rest, repair and refill their supplies.

This was the Age of Discovery, when European sailors travelled to places that were new to them. They searched for land and resources, made maps and collected scientific knowledge. These journeys also led to colonies, which harmed the rights, freedoms and cultures of Indigenous peoples around the world.

In 1619, the Dutch set up a colony called Batavia, where Jakarta in Indonesia is today. Batavia became the busy centre of the VOC trading network. For a long time, many Europeans imagined there was a giant southern land to 'balance' the land in the north. They called it the Unknown South Land, or Terra Australis Incognita. When VOC ships sailed from the Netherlands to Batavia, storms and winds sometimes pushed them off course. That is how the Dutch began to bump into parts of this mysterious land.

A Dutch map of Australia and south-east Asia

This is what the European map of Australia looked like when Abel Tasman started his voyages. 

Chart of the Malay Archipelago and the Dutch discoveries in Australia, by Hessel Gerritsz, 1581?-1632

Gerritsz, Hessel. Courtesy of National Library of Australia, nla.obj-3410085

[icon] Look at the map above that was drawn by the cartographer, Hessel Gerritsz. Compare it to a modern-day map of the world in your classroom or look at one on Google Maps, to answer the following questions.

Bit by bit, Dutch navigators began mapping small pieces of coastline. These sections were like puzzle pieces waiting to be joined together!

A man named Hessel Gerritsz was the VOC’s cartographer. In 1627, he used the Dutch’s existing knowledge to draw the first partial European map of Australia.

[icon] A cartographer is a person who uses geographical information to create and update maps and charts.

But it was still missing many puzzle pieces! It mainly showed the western side of Australia, the first area the Dutch had encountered. Europeans had not yet mapped the east coast, Cape York Peninsula was still unclear, and they did not know Tasmania existed.

This table lists some important Dutch navigators and the sections of the Australian coastline they explored.
 

[icon] The Dutch name for western Australia was “Eendrachtsland”, named after Dirk Hartog’s ship. Abel Tasman named it New Holland after his voyage in 1644.

Lots of people are involved in voyages such as these, from the people who plan and commission the journey, to the ones who are on the deck! Read on to find out more about some of these people.

Anthony van Diemen was the Governor-General of the VOC in Batavia from 1636 to 1645. He joined the VOC when he was in his mid-20s and worked his way up through the company. Van Diemen was curious about the mysterious Unknown South Land that was slowly appearing on Dutch maps. Was it really part of a giant landmass that balanced the lands in the north?

To help find out, van Diemen asked François Visscher, one of the VOC’s best navigators, to create a plan for an expedition. Visscher was the chief navigator and Isaac Gilsemans was the merchant on Tasman’s voyage in 1642.

[icon]  A merchant is a person who buys and sells large quantities of products especially by trading with people from other countries.

A painting of Anthony van Diemen 

This is a rare portrait of Anthony van Diemen, a Governor-General of the VOC

Portrait of Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company at Batavia (1636 - 1645).

Calvert, Samuel, 1828-1913. Courtesy of National Library of Australia, nla.obj-2649218

Abel Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, merchant and navigator. Not much is known about his family, but he was born in the Netherlands around 1602 and grew up in Lutjegast, a small village in the province of Groningen. He had a humble upbringing, but must have received an education, as he was able to write; this was not a common skill at the time.

His life at sea may have begun as an apprentice fisherman in the North Sea. In 1633, when he was about 30 years old, he joined the VOC. His early years with the company were spent as a merchant seaman around the islands of Indonesia where he also patrolled the islands against pirates. He later sailed on longer voyages to Japan, Cambodia and Formosa (now Taiwan). By 1635 he had graduated to the rank of Commander.

In 1638, Tasman brought his wife, Jannetje Tjaers, and daughter, Claesjen, to live in Batavia. Five years later, he was chosen to command two small ships, the Heemskerck and the Zeehaen, on his first major voyage. The mission for this, and his second major voyage in 1644, were to explore the seas to the south and east of Indonesia that were still largely unknown to Europeans. His achievements were a high point for Dutch exploration of Australia.

A family painting of Abel Tasman, his wife and daughter

Portrait of Abel Tasman, his wife and daughter.

Cuyp, Jacob Gerritsz, 1594-approximately 1651, National Library of Australia, nla.obj-351529