Dutch King and Queen to visit Western Australia

Thursday, 13 October 2016
 
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• Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to visit Western Australia on Monday, October 31 and Tuesday, November 1
• Their Majesties to officially open the Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World exhibition at the WA Maritime Museum 

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will visit Western Australia as part of a State Visit to Australia.

The King and Queen will be in Perth on Monday, October 31 and Tuesday, November 1.

Premier Colin Barnett said Western Australia and the Netherlands had a long and strong connection with more than 22,500 West Australians claiming Dutch ancestry by the birthplace of their parents.

"The visit coincides with an exciting period in our State's history, as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dutch skipper Dirk Hartog on what is now known as Dirk Hartog Island," Mr Barnett said.

"At the Maritime Museum, the King and Queen will officially open the Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World exhibition and unveil Hartog's pewter dish at a private ceremony which is on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

"The inscribed pewter dish left at Cape Inscription by Hartog in 1616 is the oldest known European object found on Australian soil, and due to its fragility, will likely not return to WA again."

Their Majesties will also view a scale model of the New Museum for Western Australia which was designed by a team including Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

As part of the program, Their Majesties will also visit the Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch at Curtin University to hear about the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project.

"We look forward to welcoming the King and Queen to Western Australia, and further strengthening our connections with the Dutch people and their culture," the Premier said.

Fact File

• This will be the King's second visit to WA, after his visit to participate in the de Vlamingh Tricentennial Celebrations in January 1997 as Prince of Orange, Prince of the Netherlands.  It is the first visit by the Queen
• Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World brings together precious objects from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the British Museum, the art galleries of South Australia and New South Wales, Museum Victoria, the Berndt Museum at The University of WA and the WA Museum, as well as private collections, including the Kerry Stokes Collection.  The exhibition has been supported by the Government of the Netherlands and Shell Australia
• For information and tickets, visit http://www.museum.wa.gov.au    
• The Liberal National Government, through its Royalties for Regions program, has made a significant investment to mark the 400th anniversary of Dirk Hartog's landing, including supporting a five-day festival in Denham
• For more information about the celebrations, visit http://www.dpc.wa.gov.au