If Australia’s history has always fascinated you, you now have a chance to own one of the most historically significant pieces of land on this great continent. Australia’s historical slab – 11ha of pristine Dirk Hartog Island is up for sale and expected to fetch up to AUD10 million ($9.1 million). The slab located in Western Australia has historical significance. The Dutch East India Company captain Dirk Hartog became the first European to step on the country’s west coast in 1616. On arrival, Hartog left a commemorative plate on the island. Another Dutchman, William de Vlamingh, then replaced his own plate when he landed at Cape Inscription, on the island’s northern tip 1697. The Wardle family bought the 80km long island’s lease, and the island is now a national park and part of the Shark Bay World Heritage area.
When the Wardles handed the island to the state’s Department of Environment and Conservation, they were given four freehold plots of land in return. The Wardles have now decided to sell their plot at the Sunday Island Bay, which is at the island’s southern tip because it is run as an eco-tourism operation. The island offered for sale lies a few kilometers from Steep Point, the most western point of mainland Australia. The island is expected to generate a lot of interest from Western Australia’s wealthy boating fraternity.
If the history or simply the beauty of this island appeals to you, you better hurry and make your offer as the bids close on October 25, 394 years, to the day after Hartog landed on the island.
[TheAustralian]