I am pleased to announce that His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange and Her Royal Highness Princess M xima of the Netherlands will visit Australia from 23-28 October 2006.
Their visit helps to mark 400 years of relations between our two countries and will conclude a year of commemorative activities, including the successful visit to Australia earlier this year by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Hon. Dr Jan Peter Balkenende.
The royal couple will visit Canberra, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Sydney before flying to New Zealand.
The first recorded Europeans to set foot on Australian soil arrived in March 1606 on board the Duyfken, a Dutch East India Company ship under the command of Captain Willem Janszoon.
Australia's relations with The Netherlands are close and continuing to develop. Two-way trade between the two nations is now worth more than $3 billion and each year more than 60,000 Australians visit The Netherlands.