Duyfken visited my other home port (a marina in Scarborough, Qld) nearly two decades ago. When I heard she was visiting Mandurah, I had to go and have another look at this old friend.
I watched her pass by the heads of my new home port in Mandurah and into the local canals. If you like replica wooden ships that represent an accurate historical past of a bygone sailing era (auxiliary motors excepted), here’s a video of one.
The discovery of Australian shores (by Europeans) is said to have happened many times (before England claimed it in 1770). The French were sailing in the neighbourhood, as were the Spanish, but the Dutch first recorded landing on it in 1606. The Duyfken was the ship that visited the land that year.
It’s hard to imagine that 20 to 30 men once sailed the world and lived on a tiny wooden island (not a warship) like this one.
Enjoy. -M
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