J. E. Heeres presents a careful documentary history of Dutch exploration along the Australian coastline, from the accidental landfall of the Duyfken in 1606 through the systematic VOC-sponsored surveys of the seventeenth century. Charts, logbook extracts, and archival evidence are marshalled to establish the priority and extent of Dutch geographic knowledge before James Cook’s celebrated voyages.
The book is a vital contribution to the history of European maritime expansion, situating the Dutch East India Company within the wider story of global exploration. Readers interested in the Age of Sail or Australian colonial origins will find it richly documented and authoritative.