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Old bottle find proves a corker

Chloe FraserSound Telegraph
Tony Fry discovered a mysterious bottle in the water at the Safety Bay foreshore
Camera IconTony Fry discovered a mysterious bottle in the water at the Safety Bay foreshore

A mysterious bottle dating back to the 1860s has washed up on the Safety Bay foreshore.

Resident Tony Fry was walking along the beach earlier this year when he came across a corked bottle with liquid inside it, floating about a metre offshore.

“I was walking along the beach near the Pond and the yacht club when I saw it in the water,” he said.

“Straight away I knew it was older, just from the markings on the bottle and the shape of it.

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“I was really astounded.”

Curious about the liquid inside, Mr Fry held the bottle upright and a little liquid started to drip out.

“I put a bit on my tongue and it was sweet — not salty at all. I thought it could have been a cordial or something sweet like that.”

Tony Fry discovered a mysterious bottle in the water at the Safety Bay foreshore, which he has gifted to Rockingham Museum curator Wendy Durant for display.
Camera IconTony Fry discovered a mysterious bottle in the water at the Safety Bay foreshore, which he has gifted to Rockingham Museum curator Wendy Durant for display. Credit: Picture: Chloe Fraser

Mr Fry said he kept the bottle for a few months, before deciding to do some research into its origin.

He contacted WA Museum maritime archaeology curator Ross Anderson, who identified the item as a three-piece moulded bottle dating back to the 1860s to early 1900s. Dr Anderson told the Sound Telegraph the mysterious bottle was an “interesting find”.

“To have the cork and contents in it . . . you don’t often find that,” he said.

“There are a couple of wrecks in Shoalwater (Islands Marine) Park and further off shore, but unfortunately there’s nothing to indicate where the bottle might have come from.”

But he said the bottle was likely of “significant historical interest”.

Mr Fry said he was glad he didn’t open the bottle, because its character would have been “somewhat diminished”. Last week he handed the bottle over to Rockingham Museum curator Wendy Durant.

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