A message in a bottle that washed up on a remote Australia beach is being called the oldest ever found.

Perth resident Tonya Illman stumbled upon the bottle on a beach near Wedge Island in January while picking up trash.

Experts say the bottle was one of countless others of German origin that were chucked into the sea as a way to track the ocean's currents.

This one in particular was thrown from a boat called the "Paula" back in 1886 and contained a form with the date, coordinates of origin and ship's name. 

The note asked the finder to send it back to the German Naval Observatory in Hamburg.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the bottle is the 663rd note of its kind to be found and only the first of its type of bottle ever returned from the 69-year experiment.

Experts have authenticated the find. Meanwhile, its proud new owner, Illman, has agreed to give it to the Western Australian Museum on loan for the next two years.

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