Beachcomber makes history

An Australian beachcomber has reignited debate about the nation's early history by unearthing an old silver coin said to have been dropped by a Portuguese mariner almost 500 years ago on the continent's south- east coast.

The find, made in September but only publicised yesterday after initial checks of the coin's antiquity, is seen as perhaps the first tangible evidence to support a contentious theory that the Portuguese were the first to chart eastern Australia. Reuters - Melbourne