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:
“Then he rang the bell and ordered a ham sandwich. When the maid placed the plate on the table, he deliberately looked away but as soon as the door had shut, he grabbed the sandwich with both hands, immediately soiled his fingers and chin with the hanging margin of fat and, grunting greedily, began to much.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)