The Voyage of the Poppykettle (later re-published as Voyage of Poppykettle) is a 1980 children's book about a group of "hairy Peruvians" setting out from 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....

 to discover 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...

. It was written and illustrated 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...

, who also wrote the sequel, The Unchosen Land.

The story of the Poppykettle was later updated with new material by Michael Lawrence and republished as 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...

in 1999.

The story contains reference to the Geelong Keys

Geelong Keys

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...

.

Background

In 1975, Robert Ingpen developed the story based on his work with the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 in Peru. As part of that work, he was researching ancient Inca fishing stories, and two elements of that research formed the kernel of the Poppykettle idea: Inca dolls and pottery; and a plaque which commemorated an expedition from the headland

Headlands and bays

Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...

 at Callao

Callao

Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...

 in the 16th century into the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

.

Years later he wrote this children's book and its sequel based on that idea.

These stories were so popular in Ingpen's home, Geelong, 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....

 that a fountain and an annual Poppykettle Festival celebrate the mythical landing of the "hairy Peruvians".

Ingpen won the 1986 Hans Christian Andersen Award

Hans Christian Andersen Award

The Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...

for illustration for this book.