A small community, all as white as himself, he said about three hundred; that they lived in houses enclosed all together within a great wall to defend them from black men; that their father came here 170 years ago, ... from a distant land across the sea ... Lt Robert Dale 1832 Western Australia The story of The Lost White Tribes of Australia by Henry Van Zanden confirms longstanding rumours, never previously proven true, that a community of Dutch-descended people was found ... in the early 19th century. The community was living proof that foreigners had occupied the continent long before the British and if its existence became known the UK's claim to sovereignty could be threatened. So it was kept a secret and has remained so to this day. Patrick Connelly, Journalist
About the Author: Henry Van Zanden, the son of Dutch migrants, is an Australian author. Even as a 10 year old, Van Zanden had a passion for the 17th century Dutch explorers that arrived in Australia as early as 164 years before Cook. His love of history continued into university where he studied the histories of every continent including South- East Asia and Australia. In 1997, Van Zanden released his first book, 1606 Discovery of Australia. The success of this book encouraged Van Zanden to produce a six part series, Australia Discovered. This led him to undertake a number of exploratory expeditions to Western Australia and Victoria after he became aware of the existence of Dutch sailors who became marooned on Australian shores. The Lost White Tribes of Australia, the fifth book in the series, was released first due to the importance of its content: 1656 The First Settlement of Australia. The book challenges the orthodox view that Australia's first European settlers arrived in 1788. During his long investigations, Van Zanden discovered that there had been more than one 'Lost White Tribe' resulting in the final book in the series, The Lost White Tribes of Australia, Part 2. The series, Australia Discovered, will begin with the most detailed story and analysis of Australia's first discoverer, Captain Willem Janszoon. Interwoven amongst the intricate backdrop of the Dutch arrival in the East Indies and the political machinations in Europe, Van Zanden investigates the many contacts the Dutch made with Australia but keeping the reader informed of the historical context. Scant detail has been revealed of these voyages to the world's most recent discovery: Terra Australis Incognito, the Unknown Southland. Mr Van Zanden has attempted to correct this by revealing the stories behind the discoveries, shipwrecks and exploratory voyages made by the Dutch between 1606 and the 18th century. Included are the colourful stories and adventures of the mutiny and eventual shipwreck of the Batavia off the Western Australian coast in 1629. The voyages of Abel Tasman in 1642 and 1644 will reveal not only the extent of his discoveries but solve historical mysteries that have baffled historians for the last decade. The series, Australia Discovered, will finally fill the yawning gap in Australia's history, a story ignored, trivialised and more often erased form Australia's history.