Ronan O'Connell, CNN • Updated 20th January 2021
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Perth, Australia (CNN) — It all began with a letter sent from inside an Australian "tomb," a document so convincing that it prompted a US gang to sail some 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) to execute what could arguably be considered one of the most outrageous prison escapes in Australian history.
The year was 1876. Using a series of codes and disguises, the bold group snuck into Western Australia to free six Irish political prisoners.
Now, 145 years later, a new generation of Australians is learning about this prison break thanks to WA Museum Boola Bardip.
The museum, which reopened in November 2020, was closed for four years for redevelopment. Featuring eight new galleries, it's located on the same site it has occupied since 1891, when it opened as a geological museum in the Old Perth Gaol.