Freo never disappoints. With its unique mix of rich maritime history, architecture, and quirky bars, cafes, and restaurants, there are always more intriguing historical stories to discover and new places to explore.

Eighteen SoPYC Cruising Section members and friends were lucky to have our two special tour guides for our visit to the WA Shipwrecks Museum on Cliff St: Len Randell, who shared stories of his early wreck diving experiences with the Underwater Explorers Club in the 60s, and Elly Spillekom, curator of the Dutch Australian Foundation. Elly enthusiastically shared the stories gathered over her years of in-depth research on the early WA Dutch explorers.

The group learned how, in the mid-1600s, early Dutch explorers followed changes to wind patterns, found the Roaring Forties to cross from South Africa, then picked through the uncharted west coast, through the Abrolhos and other coastal reefs, to reach Indonesia, then Batavia, now Jakarta. The time taken for the return voyage halved to 12 months, a quarter the time of the overland trek of the spice trade. The new, faster, yet more hazardous route proved lucrative for the Dutch East India Company (DOC) fleets.

Elly shared stories of the mutineer, Cornelius, a rogue banished from Amsterdam, sent off out to sea, who later led a mutiny at the Abrolhos Islands. Cornelius separated the women and children to a reef island with no water, where they all perished. Soldiers onboard the ship were also separated but survived the ordeal as they had weapons to hunt seals. Cornelius was later captured by the returning ship’s captain and hung up to die on the island.

The stories of the series of engraved pewter plates, left on the posts on Dirk Hartog Islands marking the early explorers’ landings, and the bricks and sandstone portico blocks, used onboard as ballast for the forward journey to Indonesia then constructed in the new city of Batavia, are still prominent on the skyline in Jakarta. Elly has so much knowledge of our WA coast that she is willing to share with interested listeners. I can strongly recommend a visit to the WA Shipwrecks Museum.

At the conclusion of the tour, Elly suggested a small bar nearby in Henry Street, but she was rightly concerned that we wouldn’t all fit inside due to its small size. The Darling Darling is quaint, resembling a very small saloon below deck on an old sailing ship. The atmosphere was cozy by the open fire, and despite being noisy due to the low timber ceiling, it was fun peeling fresh peanuts, discarding the shells on the floor, and trying the menu selection of delicious specialty cocktails.

This was the last event our Cruising Captain Mike Irving and Angela attended with the section before they head off traveling to far-off shores. Their plans include firstly time in SE Asia, then new family members for Angela to meet in Canada, more family celebrations in the U.S. with Mike’s family, then travels in Mexico, Galapagos, and more, before returning to Perth in a year or so. The section will try to emulate Mike’s enthusiasm and organization skills and wish them both safe travels.