Coin predating Captain Cooks voyage to Australia found

A coin predating Captain Cooks historical voyage to Australia, that led to the discovery of the continent, could help prove that before Cooks arrival, a Spanish or Portuguese ship had reached the area.

Melbourne, Aug 30 : A coin predating Captain Cook's historical voyage to Australia, that led to the discovery of the continent, could help prove that before Cook's arrival, a Spanish or Portuguese ship had reached the area.

The 1597-dated coin adds strength to the century-old theory that a Spanish or Portuguese ship was wrecked off Australia's east coast.

"If it (the discovered coin) were the genuine object it does suggest a late 17th century wreck," NEWS.com.au quoted an expert from the Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, as saying.

"It's pre-Captain Cook by a long way," the expert added.

The coin was discovered 'accidentally' by an expedition led by self-funded Brisbane historian Greg Jeffreys in the snake-infested swamp on Queensland's North Stradbroke Island.

Jefferys, who is himself waiting to have the piece verified in Europe, hopes the coin will lead him to the wreck first rumoured to be there from witness accounts in the 1890s.

"It's the first thing that we can date 100 per cent," he said. "This has the date stamped on it, so it has to be a 17th century wreck."

According to the legend, Aborigines in the 1920s found gold coins in the area, while locals claimed to have seen the wreck over the years.

There has also been speculation that Captain Cook used secret Spanish or Portuguese maps to navigate before landing in Australia in 1770.

ANI