Geelong Keys
Encyclopedia
The Geelong Keys were a set of keys discovered in 1845 or 1846 in the time of Governor Charles La Trobe
at Corio Bay
in Victoria
, Australia
. They were embedded in the stone of the beach in such a way as to make him believe that they had been there for 100–150 years (~1700 AD). Since the earliest proven English exploration of the area was by Matthew Flinders
in 1802, writer Kenneth McIntyre
suggested the keys may have originated with some earlier European explorers of the region, possibly Portuguese explorations
.
The study of these keys was the subject of two pamphlets published by the Royal Society of Victoria
in the 1870s. The first of these pamphlets suggested that the depth at which the keys lay indicated an age closer to 200–300 years. The second pamphlet repudiated this claim and was based on an interview with a limeburner, who said that the keys may have been dropped down a hole to that depth. The Geelong Keys are often connected to the Mahogany Ship
further west on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast
, also claimed to be a relic of early European exploration of the area. However, research by Geologists Edmund Gill and P.F.B. Alsop showed the age of the deposit in which the keys were found to be 2330–2800 years and this made La Trobe's dating highly implausible. The error by La Trobe is quite understandable, according to Gill and Alsop, given that in 1847 most people thought the world was only 6000 years old.
The keys themselves, and all original drawings of them, have been lost.
The keys are referred to in a book for children, The Voyage of the Poppykettle
(and later The Poppykettle Papers
), by Robert Ingpen
. In it the keys are used as ballast
in a clay-pot ship sailed by migrant Peru
vian gnomes. These stories were so popular in Ingpen's home, Geelong, that a fountain and an annual Poppykettle Festival celebrate the mythical landing of the "hairy Peruvians".
Charles La Trobe
Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
at Corio Bay
Corio Bay
Corio Bay is one of numerous bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes its name from Corio Bay.-Name:...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. They were embedded in the stone of the beach in such a way as to make him believe that they had been there for 100–150 years (~1700 AD). Since the earliest proven English exploration of the area was by Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
in 1802, writer Kenneth McIntyre
Kenneth McIntyre
Kenneth Gordon McIntyre OBE was an Australian lawyer, historian and mathematician who is perhaps best known for his controversial book The Secret Discovery of Australia - Portuguese ventures 200 years before Captain Cook....
suggested the keys may have originated with some earlier European explorers of the region, possibly Portuguese explorations
Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia
Although most historians hold that the European discovery of Australia began in 1606 with the voyage of the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon on board the Duyfken, a theory exists that a Portuguese expedition arrived in Australia between 1521 and 1524...
.
The study of these keys was the subject of two pamphlets published by the Royal Society of Victoria
Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria is the oldest learned society in the state of Victoria in Australia.The Royal Society of Victoria was formed in 1859 from a merger between The Philosophical Society of Victoria and The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science , both founded...
in the 1870s. The first of these pamphlets suggested that the depth at which the keys lay indicated an age closer to 200–300 years. The second pamphlet repudiated this claim and was based on an interview with a limeburner, who said that the keys may have been dropped down a hole to that depth. The Geelong Keys are often connected to the Mahogany Ship
Mahogany Ship
The Mahogany Ship refers to a putative, early shipwreck that is purported to lie beneath the sand in the Armstrong Bay area, approximately 3 to 6 kilometres west of Warrnambool in southwest Victoria, Australia...
further west on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast
Shipwreck Coast
The Shipwreck Coast of Victoria, Australia stretches from Moonlight Head to Cape Otway, a distance of approximately 130km. This coastline is accessible via the Great Ocean Road, and is home to the limestone formations called The Twelve Apostles....
, also claimed to be a relic of early European exploration of the area. However, research by Geologists Edmund Gill and P.F.B. Alsop showed the age of the deposit in which the keys were found to be 2330–2800 years and this made La Trobe's dating highly implausible. The error by La Trobe is quite understandable, according to Gill and Alsop, given that in 1847 most people thought the world was only 6000 years old.
The keys themselves, and all original drawings of them, have been lost.
The keys are referred to in a book for children, The Voyage of the Poppykettle
The Voyage of the Poppykettle
The Voyage of the Poppykettle is a 1980 children's book about a group of "hairy Peruvians" setting out from Peru to discover Australia...
(and later The Poppykettle Papers
The Poppykettle Papers
The Poppykettle Papers is a children's book written in 1999 by Michael Lawrence and illustrated by Robert R. Ingpen.The story follows mythical, ancient, Peruvian gnomes whose story is discovered in the modern day by two boys who find The Poppykettle Papers.- Background :In 1980, Robert Ingpen...
), by Robert Ingpen
Robert Ingpen
Robert Roger Ingpen is an Australian graphic designer, illustrator, and author.-Early life:Ingpen was born in Geelong Australia and attended Geelong College to 1957...
. In it the keys are used as ballast
Sailing ballast
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
in a clay-pot ship sailed by migrant Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian gnomes. These stories were so popular in Ingpen's home, Geelong, that a fountain and an annual Poppykettle Festival celebrate the mythical landing of the "hairy Peruvians".