Western Australia's own Duyfken replica ship, saved earlier this year from the likelihood of being sold interstate or overseas, has began a new chapter in her life.

She will sail up the Swan River from East Fremantle to a berth at the Old Swan Brewery to demonstrate that she is shipshape and ready for an ambitious sailing program from Geraldton to Albany helping young West Australians.

Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation chief executive officer Peter Durrant said that Duyfken was readied for the Swan passage in Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour by removing the masts, and rigging, taken under the traffic bridges and then the refurbished masts were stepped at the Army Jetty in East Fremantle in hectic preparation for her voyage up-river.

"This is a small voyage up the Swan River but an enormously symbolic one for the Duyfken Foundation and our supporters -- it says that Duyfken is back in business and we are going to do some innovative and exciting things with the ship in the years ahead," he said.

"Not even Willem de Vlamingh took such a large Dutch vessel up the Swan River so we are creating our own piece of history.î

"Anyone driving up the Freeway or along Riverside Drive will be able to see the vessel. She'll also be open for the public to visit, and we plan a regular program of short sails on the river," he said.

Mr Durrant also called on the Perth corporate community to take advantage of the ship close to the Perth CBD. He said that the ship was now available for unique corporate cocktail functions and exclusive dinners onboard.

The re-commissioning of Duyfken has been a community driven effort involving considerable support from a large team of professionals and volunteers, Government and private sector supporters. These include the State Government, the MG Kailis Group, Mirvac Fini Group, City of Fremantle, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce and local government across the State.

A key part of Duyfken's new life is the development of the Duyfken Traineeship Program in cooperation with the State Government and local government. It is this program that will give the Duyfken a new purpose following an incredible journey involving more than 65,000km across four oceans and 10 countries in four continents. More than 300,000 people have come aboard the ship and more than one million people have visited her.

Duyfken is an internationally renowned asset that has set a new benchmark in the construction and operation of historic sailing vessels. In 1606 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) sent the little ship Duyfken, captained by Willem Janszoon, to search for "south and east lands" beyond the furthest reaches of their known world. Leaving from Banda (Indonesia), the Duyfken reached the Cape York Peninsula and charted 300km of the Australian coast. 2006 marks the 400th anniversary of this voyage.

Duyfken is important because this was the first historically recorded voyage to Australia. The 24 metre Duyfken replica which was built at a cost of $3.7million to help tell the little known story of Australia's first recorded European visitors, and to counter two of Australia's popular historical myths. That Dirck Hartog was the first European to visit Australia and that Captain Cook "discovered" Australia.

Hailed by Dutch historians as the most exacting replica sailing ship yet constructed, the Duyfken is also the most travelled Age of Discovery replica.

Since setting sail from Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbor on 8th April 2000, Duyfken's voyages have included a re-enactment expedition to Indonesia and Queensland, and a voyage from Sydney to The Netherlands. This voyage marked the 400th anniversary of the worldís first multinational trading company, the United East India Company (VOC) that pioneered the Dutch spice trade. This voyage sailed the historic spice route and took a year before arriving in The Netherlands with a crew of eighteen.

With the Duyfken Foundation unable to incur additional debt to keep the vessel operating the ship was been taken out of service until a decision was made on her future. The Duyfken Foundation's aim is to provide for a long term sustainable operation based on commercial judgment, sound business acumen, management and program best practice, collaboration, partnerships, community development and service to Western Australian communities.

The public can enjoy the spectacle of Duyfken making her way carefully upriver early Saturday morning between 6:30am and 8:30am from East Fremantle arriving at the Old Swan Brewery at 8:30 am Saturday 10 April 2004.

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Media Contact: Peter Durrant, CEO, Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation Inc. Ph 0419 931 451