Hartog Plate or Dirk Hartog's Plate is either of two plates, although primarily the first, which were left on Dirk Hartog Island during a period of European exploration of the western coast of Australia prior to European settlement there. The first plate, left by Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog, is the oldest-known artifact of European exploration in Australia still in existence.
The subsequent discoveries, comprising three additional visits spanning 200 years, are remarkable considering the extreme isolation of the region.
Read more about Hartog Plate: Dirk Hartog, 1616, Willem De Vlamingh, 1697, Emmanuel Hamelin, 1801, Louis De Freycinet, 1818, Cape Inscription Lighthouse Plaques
Famous quotes containing the word plate:
“Say “Yessum” to the ladies, an’ “Yessur” to the men,
And when they’s company, don’t pass yer plate for pie again;
But, thinkin’ of the things yer’d like to see upon that tree,
Jes ‘fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!”
—Eugene Field (1850–1895)