{"id":81947,"date":"2026-08-28T02:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T02:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/81947\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T02:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T02:35:30","slug":"tradies-staggering-100-year-old-discovery-behind-fireplace-during-renovation-in-aussie-suburbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/81947\/","title":{"rendered":"Tradies’ staggering 100-year-old discovery behind fireplace during renovation in Aussie suburbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years of playing video games<\/a> may have unexpectedly prepared an Australian tradie<\/a> for the day he uncovered what appeared to be<\/a> a bomb hidden behind a fireplace.<\/p>\n

Brad Harrison was renovating a historic property on St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide, alongside an electrician and a plumber when they made the startling discovery on<\/a> Monday.<\/p>\n

Brad told Yahoo News that his gaming experience helped him recognise the object as a potential bomb.<\/p>\n

“I think years of playing video games definitely paid off that day, and was the reason I was able to identify it as a potential bomb,” he said.<\/p>\n

His colleagues decided to alert police<\/a>, triggering a response from the South Australia Police Bomb Response Unit and Australian Defence Force personnel.<\/p>\n

A century-old discovery behind the fireplace<\/p>\n

Brad said the group was surprised when police confirmed the mortar was still live.<\/p>\n

“My colleagues and I were all quite excited when the police confirmed it was still live, as this was something none of us had ever experienced before,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The unusual mortar device was discovered during renovations at the historic St Vincent Street property, which dates back to the 1870s. Source: Facebook\/Brad Harrison<\/p>\n

The object was later determined to be an improvised mortar device that did not have military origins, the Advertiser<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

Police said the device did not contain an explosive or detonation device, and there was no risk to the public.<\/p>\n

The ADF collected the device for disposal.<\/p>\n

Painter Simon said he had encountered ammunition while working on heritage buildings in England, but had never seen anything quite like the Port Adelaide discovery.<\/p>\n

“Especially in this building, underneath a fireplace,” he told the Advertiser.<\/p>\n

“Who in their right mind would put an explosive under a fireplace?”<\/p>\n

The response team reportedly believed the device could be more than 100 years old.<\/p>\n

RELATED<\/p>\n

\"Shopfront<\/p>\n

Brad Harrison and colleagues from Precise Plumbing and Electrical made the bizarre discovery while renovating a property on St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide. Source: Google Maps<\/p>\n

An unusual clue adds to the mystery<\/p>\n

The mortar was found alongside the remains of a shoe, adding another strange detail to the discovery.<\/p>\n

Simon said the practice of hiding footwear in fireplaces dates back centuries, with concealed shoes linked to old superstitions around luck and protection.<\/p>\n

The property is believed to date back to the 1870s and was once an undertaker’s premises.<\/p>\n

It is now being renovated into a jewellery store and workshop after jeweller Claire Brooks and her family bought the terrace shopfront last year.<\/p>\n

Claire said she was “a bit shocked” when she learned the unusual device had been found inside the property.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n