The Tasman Map

The Tasman Map delves into the story of the first
Dutch voyages to Australia, set against the background of the struggle of the
newly formed Dutch Republic to gain its independence from the Kingdom of Spain and the struggle
of the Dutch East India Company for trade supremacy in the East Indies against its
Portuguese, Spanish and English rivals. Over a period of only forty years from
1606 to 1644 and based on sixteen separate discoveries the first map
of Australia took shape. The Tasman Map shows a recognisable outline of the north, west and
south coasts of Australia that was not to change for another 125 years until the British explorer James
Cook charted the east coast in 1770.

It was in 1925 and 1933 that the Mitchell
Library in Sydney, Australia, acquired both the Tasman Huydecoper Journal
and the Tasman Bonaparte Map. The story of how the library managed to acquire these
treasures of Dutch exploration and cartography will bring new recognition to these icons of both Dutch and
Australian history.