Corio Bay Coins revisited by Chris C May 2000

A collection of coins were reclaimed from the shallow waters of Corio Bay. Mick Bloxam, a man renowned for his voluntary landscaping work at Limeburners Point, East Geelong, found them mostly in the 1970s.

The collection, only recently catalogued, are the subject of some speculation, were they dumped along with ballast by early sailors, or by the old Harbour Trust?

Were they lost by workers toiling at the nearby lime kilns, or were they associated with the old road that skirts the base of the cliffs.

Perhaps there is a simple explanation?

However another point of interest is that the famous Geelong keys were also found in this vicinity. These Keys, found in 1847, were alleged to have been left by Portuguese visitors to Corio Bay.

Undoubtedly this area has had an interesting past.

There were listed some 20 coins, 9 from the UK, one from EA, China, South Africa, Holland and the rest from Australia.

Thanks Chris for your research some 20 years ago, still of interest today.