VOC Geocoin 'Duyfken'

Duyfken

In 1606, the VOC ship Duyfken (Little Dove) sailed from the Indonesian island of Banda in search of gold and trade opportunities on the fabled island of Nova Guinea. They did not find gold but they did find the northern coast of a huge continent: Australia. Captain Janszoon was the first European to map and record Australia in history, so Duyfken’s voyage marks the beginning of Australia's recorded history.

A full size replica of the Duyfken was built by the "Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation" jointly with the Maritime Museum of Western Australia and launched on January 24, 1999 in Fremantle. The Duyfken is currently berthed at the Marlin Wharf Marina in Cairns, Australia.

Goal

1. Visit the replica of the Duyfken at the Marlin Wharf Marina in Cairns (Australia)

2. Visit some islands of the Indonesian archipelago

3. Return home (a rendezvous cache for Zwijnen Heintje’s coins is under construction)

If you think you can help the Duyfken along on its journey, feel free to take it with you. Please upload the stories (and photos associated with it) that it picks up along the way.

VOC

The Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC (United East Indian Company) was a chartered company established in 1602 to carry out colonial activities in Asia. It was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock. It was also arguably the world's first mega-corporation, possessing quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, negotiate treaties, coin money, and establish colonies.

Statistically, the VOC eclipsed all of its rivals in the Asia trade. Between 1602 and 1796 the VOC sent almost a million Europeans to work in the Asia trade on 4,785 ships, and netted for their efforts more than 2.5 million tons of Asian trade goods. The VOC enjoyed huge profits from its spice monopoly through most of the 17th century.

The VOC's territories became the Dutch East Indies and were expanded over the course of the 19th century to include the whole of the Indonesian archipelago, and in the 20th century would form Indonesia.