WAS AUSTRALIA VISITED BY TRAVELLERS OVER 1,000 YEARS AGO?

Forever hopeful - Professor Ian McIntosh

Five copper coins and a nearly 70-year-old map with an ''X'' could rewrite Australia's history.

Ian McIntosh, an Australian scientist and professor of anthropology at Indiana University in the US, is planning an expedition in July to revisit the location where five 1000-year-old coins were found in the Northern Territory in 1944.

The coins could mean seafarers from distant countries landed in Australia much earlier than is believed.
In 1944, the Wessel Islands - an uninhabited group of islands off Australia's north coast - had become a strategic position to help protect the mainland.

Australian soldier Maurie Isenberg was stationed on one of the islands to man a radar station and spent his spare time fishing on the idyllic beaches. He discovered the handful of coins in the sand.
In 1979, he sent the coins to a museum to get them identified. They proved to be 1000 years old.
Still not fully realising their significance, he marked an old map with an ''X'' where he had found them. The discovery was apparently forgotten until a few months ago.

Professor McIntosh and his team of Australian and American historians, archaeologists, geomorphologists and Aboriginal rangers say the five coins date back to the 900s to 1300s.

They are African coins from the former Kilwa sultanate, now a World Heritage ruin on an island off Tanzania. Kilwa once was a flourishing trade port with links to India in the 13th century to 16th century.
The copper coins were the first coins produced in Sub-Saharan Africa and, according to Professor McIntosh, have only twice been found outside Africa: once in Oman and Mr Isenberg's find.

Archaeologists have long suspected that there may have been early maritime trading routes that linked East Africa, Arabia, India and the Spice Islands, even 1000 years ago. Or the coins could have washed ashore after a shipwreck.

When Mr Isenberg discovered the copper coins, he also found four coins that originated from the Dutch East India Company - with one dating back to 1690.
Professor McIntosh wants to answer some of these mysteries during his planned expedition to the Wessel Islands.

He will also be looking for a secret cave Aboriginal legends refer to. It is supposed to be close to the beach where Mr Isenberg found the coins and is said to be filled with doubloons and weaponry.

Source: SydneyMorningHerald

My View?

A bunch of coins allegedly found buried in sand, and an old map marked with an `X` do not in my mind prove the earlier visitations of foreign travellers.  If their entire research is based on the story of a bored WW2 soldier, then the world of science is no longer scientific.
So far, there have been no other significant finds of early travellers, and no indications such as the remains of buildings or other structures that would have defined a presence.
It would be nice to believe in this story, but that is all that it is, a story with a few coins and a map ....

HAUNTED EARTH SHOW MAY 2013 TRAILER - FEATURETTE

Here is a trailer featuring our special investigation at Ayot St Lawrence for the May edition of the Haunted Earth Show.
Please read my notice on our transfer over to Vimeo, being the new video home of Haunted Earth.

HAUNTED PUBLIC HOUSE TO BE DEMOLISHED AFTER ALMOST 170 YEARS

Old Red House Pub - about to be demolished after 168 years existence 

A 19th Century "haunted" pub has been marked for demolition to make way for a housing development.

Daventry District Council granted permission to develop the derelict Old Red House Pub site by the A43 near Hannington on Thursday.

More than 300 people have signed a petition to save the "landmark".

Campaigner Clorissa Paul said the group was disappointed at the council decision "but won't give in".

Ms Paul, who lives near the village, said the pub was built circa 1845 when it was known as the Green Man. It then became The Old Red House before being named Henry's of Hannington.

Closed for about the last nine years, it has fallen victim to vandalism and disrepair.

The Old Red House today

BHC Architects said in its planning application it intended to "demolish the existing structures" and "design better and alternative buildings" consisting of three residential properties and garages.

Ms Paul, who leads the Save the Old Red House Campaign, said: "We always thought the previous owner would restore the building but only recently discovered new owners wanted to demolish it, that's why we've only just begun taking action.

"We will ask to meet the boss of the developers to seek a compromise, but so far he has refused to talk to us."

Ms Paul said her campaign group would not give in "until the last brick falls".

The disused pub is rumoured to be haunted by a ghost in the cellar and surrounded by spectres of those who have died on the A43.

Adrian Perkins, a paranormal researcher based in Nether Heyford, has given his support to the pub campaign.

He said he had heard rumours about ghosts at the pub and would be keen to investigate.

"I've not seen any factual evidence of the building's paranormal credentials but the number of alleged sightings must be based on something," he said.

"It's been derelict for so many years I can understand people saying something needs to be done as it's an eyesore.

"It's just a shame its not something that would benefit the local community."

IS THIS A GHOST OR JUST AN EXPLAINABLE HOAX?

Some things have to be seen to be believed.

Which is perhaps unfortunate for anyone trying to prove that Wellington Indoor Market is haunted.

A ‘probably explainable’ video has been posted on YouTube, sort of showing what could possibly be construed as a ghost-like figure making its way up the stairs and pulling some boxes over in the Victorian building in Telford, Shropshire.

The events were captured at 2.22am on May 4, according to Town and Country Markets, which posted the video. Though the time and date – much like the ghost – can’t be seen  just before the boxes fall.

Market manager Kay Boaky is certainly a believer. Kay said after finding boxes all over the floor that morning, they went straight to CCTV to see if there had been an intruder.

‘We couldn’t believe what we saw. All the hairs stood up on the back of my neck,’ Kay told the Shropshire Star.

‘There was nobody there when the boxes fell off. We watched it again and we could see the shadow walking up the stairs then chucking the boxes over.’

The video, which asks ‘did you see it?’, has sparked some comments.

‘i dont see a damn thing’, replied viewer john simmons.

Nevertheless, this is not the first time ghostly goings on have been talked about at this market. There have also been reports of a ghost, possibly with clean hands,  a bit of a cold and a short temper.

‘Once there were two people alone in the market,’ said Kay.

‘They were talking when they heard coughing coming from the other side of the building. They thought there must be someone else there but when they looked around it was totally empty.

‘We also have times where the hand-dryer starts on its own or doors slam.’

PJ Godsell, from investigators Mercia Paranormal, described the video as ‘quite interesting’.

‘My initial reactions from watching the video is that this is probably explainable.

‘But we would never say 100 per cent that it is not paranormal.’



Source: MetroNews

GHOSTLY CLUB MEMBER RINGING BELL FOR LAST ORDERS?

Exmouth Rugby Club

Spooked pub staff believe their bar is haunted by the ghost of a former drinker who recently died - after its bell appeared to signal last orders by itself.

Bar workers believe the spirit of Nigel Harris, 64, is ringing time from beyond the grave at
Exmouth Rugby Club in Devon.

They say the last order bell has been sounding unmanned and believe Mr Harris, a popular customer of 30 years who recently passed away, is haunting them.

One incident was captured on the clubhouse CCTV camera but when bosses rewound the tape they couldn't see any evidence of a prank.

Barmaid Tasmyn Burns, 19, was serving pints when the bell rang out on a Sunday afternoon.
She said: 'It made us all jump because it was ringing so loud. It was really being yanked with some force.

'I thought someone may have been playing a joke or something so I was shocked when I saw no one else was there.

'I don't normally believe in ghosts but it's quite hard not to after what happened. I have heard a few whispers of peoples saying it could be the spirit of Nigel.

'He was always in the bar and he did everything with the club, his picture is even hanging up in the lounge'.

Mr Harris, the club's former secretary, died from a heart attack in 2010 after being involved with the rugby team for three decades.

Bosses had planned to bestow an honorary lifetime membership on him but he died before they could do it.

Manager Frank Bright said: 'A few people have mentioned Nigel's name. He was great man, an all-round good guy - and certainly no threat to anyone.'

'The bell ringing on its own is pretty odd, I'll give you that,' he said. 'And one of the girls was quite freaked out.

'But I'm a bit more level-headed and I'm sure there's some way to explain it; I just can't put my finger on it at the moment.

'There was one time I was here on my own and I heard a whistle. I turned round and shouted "hello, hello" but there was no-one here.

'You hear voices every now and then but it could just be someone outside. The walls are made of wood but pretty thin.

'Maybe we could use it to our benefit - £25 a night to stay in the haunted bar, how does that sound?'

The rugby club's events manager Sue Stone added: 'I've seen the video and it looks pretty genuine but I'm no expert on these things.

'I know the bar staff have said they've heard things in the past and it's certainly strange.'

Story: DailyMail