Abel Tasman Pinot Noir

The Story Behind the Label

"It behoves us to thank God Almighty with grateful hearts" were the words recorded by Abel Tasman on sailing into a tranquil harbour off Bangor’s coastline on 1 December 1642. After an arduous voyage across the unforgiving expanse of the Indian Ocean, he was the first European to set foot upon Tasmania’s shores. So let’s raise a glass to Abel Tasman and the island named in his honour.

Bangor has a close connection to Abel Tasman. Abel Tasman's expedition, with the ships Heemskirk and Zeehaen, were the first Europeans to visit Tasmania, sighting the west coast November 24, 1642. They followed the coast eastward and attempted to anchor in Storm Bay, but bad weather forced them on. They continued on around the Tasman Peninsula and into North Bay, anchoring north-west of Cape Frederick Hendrick (the northern shores of what today is Bangor) on the 1st of December.

They were relieved to have finally found a good harbour. During the three days they remained at anchor, members of the crew, led by Pilot-Major Francoys Jacobsz Visscher searched the shoreline for fresh water and edible plants, finding little of either. They saw smoke and signs of human habitation, but did not make any contact with Aboriginal people. On December 3rd, the ship's carpenter Pieter Jacobsz hoisted the Dutch flag on Bangor's shore in Tasman Bay, before the expedition sailed north, naming Maria and Schouten Islands, then heading eastward towards New Zealand. The shores of the Forestier Peninsula were the only place that Tasman landed during the entire 1642 voyage.

The Dunbabin family manage Tasman Bay for its cultural and natural heritage. The area is protected as part of Bangor's 2000 hectare network of conservation reserves. Today, the shoreline of Bangor remains largely unchanged, and looks very similar to that explored by Tasman in 1642.