One of Australia’s most enduring maritime mysteries is a shipwreck known as the Mahogany Ship.
They described the ship to be made of hard dark timber, like mahogany.
Whats unusual about this wreck was that it appeared to be very old and of Portuguese origin.
No Portuguese ship had ever made it to the shores of Australia before that, or had they?
A 16th century Portuguese caravel similar to the one identified as the Mahogany Ship.
How they crossed the ocean to Australia is uncertain.
They might have thought it was just another one of the many islands in the area.
They named the island continent New Holland.
In time, this camp would grow to become the most populous city in Australia and OceaniaSydney.
This is as far as known historical timeline goes.
However, if the Mahogany Ship was truly of Portuguese origin, it could rewrite Australia’s history books.
The fact that there was indeed a shipwreck on Armstrong bay in the 19th century is true.
All these reports implied that the wreck was of unknown identity and predated European colonization of Victoria.
However, the position of the wreck in relation to the sea differed from observer to observer.
Some placed the wreck on the sea, some on the beach and some on the dunes further inland.
The uncertainty about the ships location has prevented any serious expedition for the missing wreck.
He commented that the timber of the wreck resembled either cedar or mahogany.
Scientific examination of these pieces of timber have produced disappointing results.
All of them were identified to be from trees of Australian origin.
Two pieces, now at the National Library in Canberra, are from Eucalyptus.
There is nothing to prove the wreck is of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch or even Chinese origin.
A 16th century Dieppe map thought by many to represent Portuguese charting of the western coast of Australia.
Between 1805 and 1835 some forty ships were reported stolen or missing by authorities.
Some of these ships were reported to have reached distant lands, others presumably lost at sea.
Often escaped convicts stole a ship and deliberately beached it so the escapees could claim to be shipwrecked sailors.
They then built another ship from the timbers of the wreck hoping to sail away to freedom.
