By Bill Wallace
I have always wanted to see the places my great-grandfather, Alfred Russel Wallace (ARW), explored during his eight years in the Malay Archipelago from 1854 to 1862. As part of my youthful backpacking adventures in the early 90s, I flew into Bali and then island-hopped to Flores.
Crossing the Wallace Line had been on my ‘Bucket List’ and seeing the Komodo dragons was fantastic, but I felt I hadn’t been to enough of the special places ARW had explored and I assumed I’d probably never be able to.
Dodinga the Birthplace of The Theory of Evolution
When I saw that SeaTrek Sailing Adventures have a trip “In Search of Wallace and his Living Treasures” I knew I wanted to be part of it, and so my wife Natalie and I travelled to join the October 2024 trip. It was a truly amazing voyage, with every day filled with so many special moments.
One of the reasons that we chose this time for the trip was that a plaque was to be unveiled in the village of Dodinga, on the island of Halmahera, commemorating the site where ARW came up with the idea of Evolution by Natural Selection.
Dodinga is a very small village in a remote part of the world, so for it to become the birthplace of one of the most significant scientific discoveries of all time is quite remarkable. The villagers were so friendly and welcoming to us all, I can see why ARW fell in love with the area and returned again and again.
Ternate the Town Full of History
Our voyage started in the town of Ternate. ARW used Ternate as a base from which he would set out to explore the region, and the town has many references to him still, which I was delighted to see. A highlight was visiting the museum at Fort Oranje which has a room dedicated to ARW’s life and works.
Ternate sees only 3000 tourists per year. We visited the local market, which is largely unchanged from when ARW was there 170 years ago. I could imagine a tall bespectacled Englishman haggling with the local vendors for the stores necessary for his next adventure.
Bacan and Wallace’s Discoveries
One of our stops was at Bacan Island, which I was excited about as I knew it was the island where ARW first captured the Golden Birdwing Butterfly – one of the world’s most beautiful butterflies, which was later named after him. It was a magical experience to see these butterflies fluttering about us when we visited the butterfly farm. When ARW first caught one he was so excited he nearly fainted! Seeing these butterflies in the wild, I now understand why he felt that way.
During the trip we were privileged to see three types of Birds of Paradise, including Wallace’s Standardwing. ARW was the first European to see and write about these birds in their natural environment, and this was one of the major purposes of his expedition. Two pre-dawn starts followed by strenuous treks through the jungle to the display sites gave me some small idea of what ARW endured and why.
It also gave me a better appreciation of his grit and determination, because he did these treks daily, for years! I took ARWs telescope with me on the voyage and I found it moving watching the spectacular birds display through it. Seeing and hearing the birds as ARW would have was a truly spiritual and humbling experience.
Exploring the Malay Archipelago with SeaTrek
In ARW’s book The Malay Archipelago he describes his time living amongst the indigenous peoples with fondness and humor. Some of the villages we visited are still built in the traditional way, with bamboo and palms.
I could imagine him sitting in his hut, pinning insects and constantly battling the ants and local dogs who wanted to steal and eat his specimens! ARW was tall, thin and had light skin so was the subject of great amusement for the locals, who found him and his habits very odd. The people of the villages were very welcoming to us, but we were not as unique as ARW must have been.
Our trip on the Ombak Putih with Seatrek was unique and special in ways I never imagined. To voyage through the islands of Raja Ampat gave me a better awareness of what ARW experienced on his expedition. Although I never met him, the trip made me feel closer to him, and I now understand why he found this beautiful part of the world so wonderful and inspiring.
