Mortar Bomb event in Victoria, Cowes area, Australia on Sun 25th September 2022

Sam Treacey usually finds phones, wallets and watches while scuba diving with his mates — not bombs. But on Sunday, while diving under the Cowes Jetty on Phillip Island, Mr Treacey and his friend Cooper Corbett discovered an unexploded mortar shell. "We were bored on a Sunday. As usual, [we] headed down to the pier for a dive and came across what we think was a bomb," the 23-year-old said. "When we were down there I tapped my mate on the shoulder and pointed it out. "He just picked it up straight away, not thinking anything of it." Mr Treacey said it was while chatting with some sightseers on the island's business long weekend that he decided to call the authorities. "I took it up [to the surface] to have a look," he said. "We asked a couple of people out on the pier and they said, 'Yeah, be careful. And maybe call the police'. "So we got onto the police and they came down and shut the whole pier down." 'Live but safe' Victoria Police's Bomb Response Unit and Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were called to determine if the mortar shell was at risk of detonating. Baw Baw Police Inspector Alison Lester said the mortar shell was found to be "live but safe" and it was taken by the ADF to Sale on Sunday night. "The safety features were still intact," she said. "I don't know how old it was, but it was only quite small." Asked if he was brave for handling the bomb without hesitation, Mr Treacey said, "You can't miss an opportunity like that". He also has a theory as to how the mortar shell found its way to one of Victoria's popular family holiday spots. "[The authorities] didn't want to talk about it at all really, but we think it's from World War II," he said. "It hasn't been down there long, so we're thinking that someone might have inherited it and, not knowing what to do with it, they might have dumped it in the water. "It was right under the main part of the pier - straight under." Mr Treacey said the explosive was a lot more interesting than the shopping trolleys, bikes, phones and wallets he has previously found under the pier. Ferry halted The jetty closure halted the arrival of a ferry carrying passengers from Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula. "They managed to unload the passengers but they couldn't take more passengers on," Mr Treacey said. "So we actually gave a few people a lift to the Rhyll pier so they could get picked up. "I stayed at the pier but my girlfriend and my sister took a carload of people down [to Rhyll Pier]"