Dutch Tobacco Box

This small brass tobacco box was found far from the sea, at Wale Well, a traditional Aboriginal campsite inland from the Zuytdorp wreck. Alongside buttons and other relics, it offers silent testimony to what may have happened after the ship was lost.

The Zuytdorp vanished in 1712. No survivors came forward, and its fate remained a mystery until 1958, when wreckage was discovered at the base of towering cliffs north of Kalbarri. Evidence suggests that around 30 people survived the wreck and camped on the cliff tops.

Did they later join local Aboriginal groups? This tobacco box suggests they did, marking a moment where two cultures met in the aftermath of disaster.