ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the changing interpretations and utilizations of the 1629 wreck of the Batavia that have appeared in Europe and Australia between 1630 and the present. In short, on 14 June 1629, the Dutch East India Company flagship smashed into a reef in the Abrolhos islands, 70 kilometres off the coast of modern Geraldton, Western Australia. Following the wreck, in contravention of Dutch East India Company protocol, captain Aerien Jacobsz and supercargo Francois Pelsaert departed for the settlement of Batavia to secure help. The Batavia wreck caused an instant sensation when news first reached the United Provinces in 1630. As the Western Australian museum and dive recovery teams visited the Wallabi group in order to free the Batavia from its coral tomb, news of the find, and of the potential hoard of treasure that was widely supposed to come with it, spread like wildfire.
