An extremely rare 17th century map, believed to be the earliest to document Australia’s northwest coastline, has joined the State Library of NSW’s collection.
State Librarian, John Vallance said the map, on display until August, predated the voyages of Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman and British Lieutenant, James Cook and captured a pivotal moment in the history of Dutch mapping of the Australian coastline.
“Published in 1628, the ornately decorated world map Charte universelle de tout le monde is one of only six known surviving copies in the world, and the only copy in a public institution in Australia,” Dr Vallance said.
“The map documents the earliest explorations of the Australian continent by the Dutch,” he said.
“It’s an extraordinary addition to the Library’s rich cartographic collection, made possible through the support of the State Library Foundation.”
Dr Vallance said that, 20 years before Tasman surveyed the northern coastline of Australia, Jan Cartensz led an expedition for the Dutch East India Company to explore the coast of New Guinea, investigate potential trade opportunities and suspected deposits of gold.
Head Curator of the State Library, Maggie Patton said Cartensz’s 1623 voyage was the first European voyage to explicitly survey and describe the eastern shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria, “although at the time they thought they were exploring the southern coast of New Guinea”.
“They had yet to confirm the existence of the Torres Strait,” Ms Patton said.
“The Cartensz voyage retraced the path of the 1606 voyage by Willem Jansz in the Duyfken, reputedly the first known European to have landed in Australia,” she said.
“This map is the first step in the incremental mapping of Australia by Europeans over the next 250 years.”
Ms Patton said she expected visitors to be captivated by the large wall map, “which is beautifully decorated with ships and sea monsters, and the double-hemispheres surrounded by cherubs”.
