Much of the west coast of Australia was discovered by accident when Dutch treasure galleons crashed into its fringing coral reefs and left chests of gold and silver on the coral floor.

Ben Cropp has discovered hundreds of shipwrecks, including the famous Pandora of Bounty fame but there are thousands more still hidden in a watery grave. For example, its believed the Japanese pirate Yamada Nagamasa buried his enormous loot on Magnetic Island. It is rumored to be worth $100 million, and has never been found. Ben finds a strange symbol carved in a prominent rock on Magnetic Island, opposite the only bay a ship could safely anchor in. Is this symbol the proverbial x marking the spot?

So what became of all the gold and silver that fate often cruelly snatched from its rightful owners? Some were recovered, some lost forever, but much still remains for the intrepid treasure hunter who is prepared to research the facts, sift through the legends, and give it a try.


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