The Dutchman Said

"Strewth mate, this land is a bloody ripper. Bugger me, there's no water here, not even any grog," said the 17th century Dutchman.

Shipwreck Museum, Geraldton

I had to stifle some laughs and giggles, I could not take this museum documentary seriously. All the actors, playing Dutch sailors wrecked in 1629, are speaking with Australian accents. They are not even trying to disguise their accents. Nothing sounds right. They could have found some Dutch actors, surely.

I was in Geraldton, at the museum. This one, like the museum in Perth, has an exhibition on the 1629 Dutch East India Company wreck of the Batavia. They have a stone portico erected, part of the cargo on board bound for the castle at Java. Sound familiar? Yes, two museums, two porticos, but only one castle for the portico and only one wreck. Mmm. One of these is a replica. I think the Geraldton one might be the real thing, the Fremantle one the replica. Not that either museum seems keen to comment on that.