Duyfken, Historic 400 Year Commemoration Voyage!

Perth Western Australia, 9th August 2016

To commemorate the landing in Western Australia of the Dutch Explorer Dirk Hartog, the Duyfken Replica – a rare reproduction of a typical 16th century Dutch trading vessel– will undertake a ten-week, 1000-kilometre journey along the Western Australian coast.  The Duyfken will call in at seven ports, departing from Perth and sailing to Bunbury, Mandurah, Hillarys Boat Harbour, Jurien Bay, Dongara, Geraldton and Denham.

Dutchman Dirk Hartog and his crew became the first Europeans to walk on Western Australian soil when they landed on an island, now called Dirk Hartog Island, just north of Shark Bay on 25th October 1616.  They made the journey aboard the ship Eendracht.  The STS Leeuwin II, Western Australia's very own tall ship, will join in the celebrations of the Dirk Hartog's 400th commemoration with an 11 day itinerary from Perth to Denham from the 14th – 24th October.

The Duyfken will leave Perth on Thursday 18th August and during its voyage members of the public will have a rare opportunity to interact with the ship which was built specifically to tell the fascinating and relatively unknown story of European contact with Australia in the 1600s.

Experience Perth CEO Noeleen Pearson said; “This historic voyage provides locals, history and boating enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to engage in some of WA's most fascinating history.  Events like this add to the appeal of Perth as destination which also offers an amazing range of natural attractions and wonderful new developments.  Overall, Perth has a diverse range of experiences with hundreds of quality tourism businesses offering excellent products and special events such as the Duyfken Commemorative Voyage.”

The Duyfken is located at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, behind Little Creatures Brewery. Tour days are Saturdays from May until 13 August 2016, 11.00am to 4.00pm and weekdays by appointment.   A full guided tour for 30 min costs $10 per person and a 10 min deck tour costs $5 per person.

For more information on the Duyfken Voyage, visit Experience Perth's website www.experienceperth.com

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Media Enquiries & Image Gallery:

Sue Stepatschuk, Communications & PR Manager

Experience Perth (Perth Region Tourism Organisation)

P: (08) 9321 9120 E: communications@experienceperth.com W:  experienceperth.com

Experience Perth is the official destination marketing organisation responsible for promoting Perth and surrounding precincts to the domestic and international leisure traveller.  We are a not-for-profit member based organisation representing over 300 tourism businesses.  The Experience Perth region attracts 4.353 million visitors per annum, generating 55% of the entire state's visitor spend.