On October 10, 1880, five men set sail from Bermagui never to be seen again.
The boat was carrying Government Geological Surveyor Lamont Young, sent to survey the new Montreal goldfields, his assistant Max Schneider, and three men from Batemans Bay - boat owner Tom Towers, William Lloyd and Daniel Casey..
The boat was found deliberately wrecked at what is now called Mystery Bay but the five bodies were never found.
The 142-year old mystery continues to intrigue, so over the last 14 years there have been five expeditions that enabled amateur sleuths to retrace the likely movement of the boat and listen to theories about what happened and why.
Five members from the Bermagui Historical Society, Montreal Goldfield management committee and Narooma Historical Society organised and led the latest expedition on Sunday, September 18.
Some gave detailed accounts of what may have happened as around 20 people who had come from as far away as Moruya and Eden joined the expedition.
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It was Allan Douch's first time on the expedition.
"There was lots of history, different theories, what might have happened and what did happen but nothing is very clear," Mr Douch said.
Possible suspect or red herring?
One theory explored on the day by Narooma Historical Society president Laurelle Pacey involved a possible suspect.
"One man who was never considered a suspect at the time left the Tilba area abruptly the day after the boat was discovered, never to return," Ms Pacey said.
"There were two people with different first names but now they are thinking it was the same person," Mr Douch said.
"He was a caretaker of one of the farms in Tilba and he had a hut at the back of a beach.
Interest in the mystery remains
Since the last expedition seven different families somehow involved in the mystery have contacted the expedition organisers although they all live away from the area.
Additionally, Mr Douch, who is president of the Bermagui Historical Society, said in the last two years they were handed a wooden rolling pin.
"It is supposedly made out of one of the oars by a member of the Poole family, one of the initial finders of the boat," Mr Douch said
"I don't think the answer to the mystery will ever come out now," he said.
"There are too many red herrings, too many ifs and buts. I don't think we will ever get to the bottom of it."
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