Musket balls more than 200 years old which were illegally taken from a national park now have a new home at the Queensland Museum.
The 48 musket balls that were recovered were among artifacts removed illegally from Bribie Island National Park by a man with a metal detector, the government says.
Archaeologists from the Qld Environment Department (QED), who examined the artifacts, say they date back as far as the 1790s.
MUSKET BALLS AND OTHER ITEMS
A hand-wrought nail with a four-sided shank used for construction and repairing boats;
A plum bob or pointed weight attached to a string and used to find a vertical reference line;
48 small lead shot musket balls – drop made or mould made; and
A decahedron metal ball potentially used as a ship’s ballast.
QED cultural heritage co-ordinator Dr Anthony Simmons says the artifacts could be associated with incidents in July 1799 that were recorded in the notes of British explorer Captain Matthew Flinders.
“The musket balls and maritime artifacts could be physical evidence of historical events; it is important that they be preserved,” Dr Simmons said.
The QED says that based upon the notes, Captain Flinders may have had the items in his possession when he sailed in Moreton Bay onboard the sloop HM Norfolk and spent two weeks there.
On July 16, 1799, the Norfolk crew is believed to have fired a musket at Skirmish Point and left behind a shot belt containing musket balls.
His own notes say Flinders was also at White Patch on July 23, 1799.
ILLEGAL POSSESSION
“(The department) remained in possession of the artifacts during our investigation into their removal from the Bribie Island National Park, and now it is time for them to be accepted by the Queensland Museum,” Dr Simmons says.
“Under the Queensland Heritage Act 1992, people must report the discovery of significant archaeological artifacts to (the department).
“When the man offered the artifacts for sale, a concerned member of the public contacted (the department).
“Following our investigation, the man was issued with a caution,” she says.
OTHER HISTORY NEWS: Ancient Egyptian artifacts taken then recovered.
