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7.30: Batavia shipwreck leads to mass murder

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Diver uses tool at underwater shipwreck site
7.30: Batavia shipwreck leads to mass murder

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  7–8


In 1629, the Dutch merchant ship Batavia was wrecked off the Western Australian coast near present-day Geraldton.

What followed was a tale of mutiny and mass murder on the surrounding islands.

Hear from two members of the 1963 expedition that first uncovered the ship's remains, as they visit one of the islands in 2013.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Why would a Dutch ship be near the coast of WA in 1629? European countries had been exploring unknown regions, finding trade routes and establishing colonies. In the 17th century the Dutch East India Company took control of Portugal's spice trade, setting up a series of trading posts on islands now part of Indonesia. The Batavia was part of the company's fleet, sailing by an eastward route to the East Indies, across the Indian Ocean then along Australia's west coast.
  2. 2.Where did the 1963 expedition find the ship? Listen for what Hugh Edwards says about 'history' and the 'discovery' of the west Australian coastline. What cargo and how many people was the Batavia carrying? When the survivors reached nearby small islands, many of the ship's crew mutinied. How many people were murdered?
  3. 3.What evidence supports the notion that a massacre took place in the Abrolhos Islands. Do you regard this as being undeniable? What other historical sources might validate the theory that a massacre took place? Consider what and whose history Hugh Edwards might be forgetting when he speaks of 'real history' and 'discovery' about a third of the way through the clip.
  4. 4.

    Visit the website of the Museum of Western Australia, which holds archaeological evidence and documents relating to the wreck of the Batavia and the gruesome events that followed it. Write a report outlining the journey of Commander Pelsaert to get help, the crimes of the mutineers, and the punishment dealt out to the murderers.



Date of broadcast: 6 Jul 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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