Duyfken, also in the form Duifje or spelled Duifken or Duijfken, was a small ship built in the Dutch Republic. She was a fast, lightly armed ship probably intended for shallow water, small valuable cargoes, bringing messages, sending provisions, or privateering. The tonnage of Duyfken has been given as 25-30 lasten.
The 1999 replica of Duyfken in 2006
An 1886 illustration depicting how the artist imagined Duyfken in the Gulf of Carpentaria
The 1999 replica of Duyfken under sail in c. 2006
Decorated stern of Duyfken replica in Cooktown harbour in 2009
Janszoon voyage of 1605–1606
Willem Janszoon captained the first recorded European landing on the Australian continent in 1606, sailing from Bantam, Java, in the Duyfken. As an employee of the Dutch East India Company, Janszoon had been instructed to explore the coast of New Guinea in search of economic opportunities. He had originally arrived in the Dutch East Indies from the Netherlands in 1598, and became an officer of the VOC on its establishment in 1602.
Duyfken replica on the Swan River in 2006