A one hour documentary.
In early 2001 you will be able to watch the premier of the documentary ‘Little Dove – Big Voyage’ on television. It will screen in Australia on Network Seven, in Germany on ZDF and in Holland on AVRO. If you want it to screen in your country, E-mail Us and let us know.
You will also be able to have your own copy of the video, an Interactive DVD and a sound track album.
The Story of a Brave Ship
As the dawn of the millennium breaks history’s bravest little ship will be sent forth on a journey back in time. Our ‘Little Dove’ will be a time machine sailing through 400 years of history on a mission to reveal the true story of the Dutch discovery of the world's last habitable continent, 'Terra Australis'.
The ‘Little Dove’ will be sailing through the turbulent modern history of Indonesia, through the peak of Dutch colonialism, through the wars to control the lucrative Spice Trade, and finally reach Australia and meet the Aboriginal people whose Dreamtime has lasted 40,000 years.
On this modern day high seas adventure we will drop below the waterline with marine biologists at the mythical island of Banda; in the harbour of Ambon we will relive pivotal sea battles with maritime historians and dramatic realisations; on the isolated island of Ternate we will search with wreck divers for the remains of the original Little Dove; with environmentalists we will investigate the secrets of the last frontier of Irian Jaya.
The re-enactment voyage begins in Fremantle, Western Australia in April 2000, where the authentic replica ‘Little Dove’ is joined by veteran tall ship skipper Peter Manthorpe and his hand picked crew. Over the next nine months the film will record their unpredictable adventures as they challenge the elements and battle high seas on their voyage through Indonesia to their final landfall on Cape York Peninsula, Australia.
Our brave little ship will be just as small as the original Little Dove, the weather no kinder, the threat of piracy just as real and the submerged reefs just as lethal as 400 years ago.
The Little Dove will be sent forth to commemorate the 400th anniversary of one of maritime history’s greatest discoveries, for she was the first European ship to make a recorded landing on Australian shores in 1606 - 164 years before the celebrated Captain Cook.
Her captain Willem Janszoon was Australia's Columbus and his ‘Little Dove’ the ‘Santa Maria’, for he discovered ‘a new world’ for Europeans, but never realised he had found the sixth continent. Like Columbus he thought it was part of another island already discovered - Papua New Guinea.
Should our modern day crew succeed in their mission they will make history themselves as they reveal the truth of the first European discovery of Australia.
Ironically it is here on this isolated coastline of far northern Australia, that they will discover that whilst this important moment may have been lost in European history the local Yupungati tribe have maintained their Dreaming, handing down this story to anybody who would listen for the last 400 years.
To learn more about the voyage, the destinations of the Duyfken and the one hour documentary, Click Here for Filmmaker's Journal.
© Firelight Productions Pty Ltd 1999
