The identity of the first white woman to set foot on Phillip Island has finally been revealed, 123 years after she was referred to in a newspaper article back in 1897.
Rather than a case of dedicated detective work, the mystery was solved through a happy accident.
Volunteers archiving material at the Phillip Island and District Historical Society, preparing for their move to new premises, found a letter which unlocked the woman’s identity.
Pamela Rothfield, secretary of the Phillip Island and District Historical Society shares the story of Mr and Mrs X.

Back in July 1897, The Herald newspaper published a story on the lives of M