Why did the Dutch shipwreck survivors vanish into thin air?
Conservative estimates suggest over 300 passengers and crew of the Dutch East India Company inhabited the Western Australian coastline, as a consequence of being marooned. That seems like a lot of people, though it must be remembered they landed across a period of nearly 100 years (1629 -1727). In such small unprepared groups, they never stood much of a chance of long term survival in an extremely harsh, and arid environment. Even when the highly organised British settlers arrived in 1829, they struggled for many years before establishing a viable community. The British originally numbered 150, were well supplied, and had carefully chosen their settlement site along the Swan River. You can only imagine the struggle encountered by the early Dutch shipwreck survivors. Evidence suggests many of the survivors attempted to shape some form of existence on the coastline. When the Vergulde Draeck was wrecked in 1656, seventy five people made it ashore. Seven of the crew then bravely sailed a s
