In 1642 Abel Tasman’s voyage set out to chart the coast of the mysterious South Land.
2017 marked 375 years since Dutch explorers aboard the ships Zeehaen and Heemskerck were the first known Eurpoeans to set foot on our island state.
Tasman named the land they had first seen on 24th November Van Diemen’s Land in honour of the governor-general of the VOC in Batavia (now Jakarta in Indonesia).
The Dutch explorers charted the Van Diemens Land coast until the 6th of December, then headed east where they were repelled by Maori but charted the west coast of New Zealand, then parts of Tonga and Fiji, and the north coast of New Guinea. In 1644, Tasman charted the south west coast of New Guinea and much of Australia’s northern coastline.
One of only two original versions of the Tasman Map is in the collection of the State Library of New South Wales. One of the Library’s most valued possessions, the Tasman Map, displays the results of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman’s two voyages to the southern ocean between 1642 and 1644.
The monuments
Other Australian commemorations of the Tasman legacy include:
1923 A stone monument to the Dutch explorers was erected by the Royal Society of Tasmania on the foreshore at the edge of the Bangor property on the Forestier Peninsula “as a memorial to posterity and to the inhabitants of this country.”
1942 The Tasman Memorial at the end of Imlay Street, Dunalley was erected to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Dutch voyage.
1943 A stunning marble version of the Tasman Map with inlays of brass and coloured marble granules was created at the State Library of New South Wales on the floor of the Mitchell vestibule.
1988 The Abel Tasman Fountain, an elaborate bronze sculpture by Stephen Walker paying tribute to Tasman’s voyage, was installed between Parliament Gardens and Salamanca Place in Hobart.
Events in 2017
Ongoing
The Tasman1642 project is collating a modern day view of the coastline mapped and drawn by the crew of the Dutch ships 375 years ago. Take a look at the 1642 maps and drawings online, try to recognise and identify the mountains and coastline, then share recent photos of the same views. The library of photographs will help to determine which parts of the Tasmanian coastline Tasman was looking at so that modern Internet explorers can see our island ‘Through Tasman’s Eyes’. If you think you can help, take a look at the website and submit your photos to the collection.
28 January 2017
Low Head History Symposium featuring the Dutch exploration.
until 6 February 2017 (daily 9am-4pm)
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery display ’Through Tasman’s Eyes’ in the Henry Hunter staircase.
9 February 2017 to 5 March 2017 (daily 9am-4pm)
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery exhibit ‘The Early Dutch Explorers’ at TMAG Bond Store Basement re-created life aboard a 17th century Dutch East India Company ship.
10-13 February 2017
The MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival took on a Dutch theme in 2017 with beautiful examples of Dutch wooden boats on display and a team of student boat-builders from the Netherlands using Tasmanian timbers to construct a traditional Dutch sailing dinghy.
19 May 2017
The Historical Society of the Municipality of Sorell’s journal Pitt Water Chronicles Vol 2 was 
launched by Rebecca White MP at the Dunalley Hall. PWC2 includes an article on Tasman’s 1642 voyage and features a Haughton Forrest painting of the ships Heemskirk and Zeehan on the cover.
Later in 2017
An academic conference on the Dutch exploration in Tasmanian waters.
20 November 2017 Dunalley Primary School prep to grade 6 students visited the Tasman monument on the shore of the Bangor property.
24 November 2017 the Sorell Regional Art Prize Exhibition, hosted by Southern Beaches Regional Arts with Sorell Council, includes a special Tasman 375 acquisition prize sponsored by the Historical Society of the Municipality of Sorell. The exhibition at the Sorell Memorial Hall continues daily 25 Nov-1 Dec after which the Tasman 375 acquisition will be hung at the Dunalley Community Hall.
1 December 2017 Sorell School students visited the Tasman monument on the shore of the Bangor property.
1 December 2017 Dunalley Primary School students visited the Tasman memorial in Imlay Street, Dunalley at 10am where there was a reading from Tasman’s journal, a short drama performance, and the choir performed a song on Abel Tasman.
1 December 2017 marked the 179th anniversary of the first Hobart Regatta hosted by Governor John Franklin in Tasman’s honour. The Royal Hobart Regatta Pavillion is officially named after Tasman.
3 December 2017 a formal commemoration at the Tasman monument on the shore of the Bangor property.
3 December 2017 a Dutch themed Tasman 375 celebration at Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed, Dunalley. A public event with live music, Dutch food and Bangor wine. Curtailed somewhat by wet and stormy weather but enjoyed by all nevertheless.
In recent years, anniversary readings from the Tasman voyage journals have been hosted by Margaret Long on behalf of the Historical Society of the Municipality of Sorell to bring the events of 1642 to life on days the ships were in Tasmanian waters.
Sadly, Margaret passed away 22 November 2017. Her prodigious historical knowledge will be greatly missed and her passionate championing of the Tasman legacy was remembered at our commemoration events in 2017.
Email us for more details.