After the Whitsundays, we took the bus up to Townsville, purportedly the world's largest tropical city, but more importantly home of the "Museum of Tropical Queensland" where we spent most the day we had there. The highlight of this excellent museum is the displays and artefacts from the wreck of the HMS Pandora, the ship sent to sail the south seas and round up, capture and bring the HMS Bounty mutineers back to mother England. Although successful in capturing a number of the 'pirates', the Pandora was wrecked on the barrier reef on her return voyage, but the story doesn't end there: there's also maroonings on a desert island, sailing tiny boats to the east indies, trials, royal pardons and hangings... The wreck, after being recently discovered by divers 30m down, is now protected by law
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