Black & White

Shipwreck flag find's a mystery

HMAS Cerberus arrived in Port Phillip exactly 140 years ago come next Sunday, served the state well for 54 years and then became a breakwater in Half Moon Bay.

But right now, she has everybody scratching their heads in bemusement.

An Aboriginal flag has appeared on the mast and nobody has a clue how it got there.

The flag is flying from the conning tower under the Australian flag and it's believed to have been put there on Australia Day.

The conning tower is three metres high, so it required somebody with a boat and a ladder to gain access.

Nobody seems to mind the flag being there and organisers of next weekend's 140th anniversary festivities are happy for it to remain. They'd just like to know who put it there and why.