Carronade Island lies off the northern (Kimberley) coast of Western Australia (13°56′42″S 126°36′09″E / 13.94500°S 126.60250°E / -13.94500; 126.60250), in Napier Broome Bay.
In July 1916, the Royal Australian Navy cruiser HMAS Encounter entered Napier Broome Bay.
On a small island in the bay, a party from the ship found two bronze cannons, protruding from the ground and placed about 1.8 metres (6 ft) apart.
[2] They were initially interpreted as "part of the armament of a Spanish or Portuguese caravel",[3] a claim also made by writer Kenneth McIntyre in 1977.
Using metallurgical examination, including X-ray and chemical analysis, the guns have been identified as of late 18th century South East Asian origin and likely to have arrived through Makassan contact with Australia.