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Dirk Hartog Island, WA

Cape Inscription, located at the northern tip of Dirk Hartog Island in Western Australia, is the site of the earliest known European landing on the Australian continent. On October 25, 1616, Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog and his crew arrived aboard the ship Eendracht, marking the first recorded European contact with Australia's western coast. To commemorate this event, Hartog left a pewter plate inscribed with details of their visit, which was later removed and is now preserved in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. In 1697, Dutch navigator Willem de Vlamingh found Hartog's plate, replaced it with his own inscribed plate, and took the original back to the Netherlands. The area also features a lighthouse built between 1908 and 1910, which still operates today. Cape Inscription is part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, recognized for its outstanding natural and historical significance.