He did just that when his brother Pete suggested they sail almost 12,000 miles from England to Australia on a five-month journey to re-create an epic 1854 voyage.

Pete was engrossed by the story of seven Cornish fishermen who wanted to try their luck in the Australian gold rush. They took 116 days to sail from Cornwall to Melbourne in a 37-foot lugger, Mystery.

In awe of their bravery, Pete decided on a re-enactment.

The Goss brothers set sail in a replica boat, Spirit of Mystery, last November with Pete's son Eliot, 14, and crewmate Mark Maidment who broke his leg a week before the end of the journey and had to be rescued.

They were reunited when Spirit of Mystery arrived in Williamstown, Melbourne, in March to be welcomed by a flotilla of small boats and hundreds of onlookers.

Andy recounted the daring journey to an enthralled audience at Camden High School on Thursday.

He showed the students a video of the freak waves they encountered, the moment their little wooden boat almost overturned in the rough seas and, at the end, the sense of greatness experienced at achieving what many thought impossible.

Jennifer Meston, a founding member of the Camden-based NSW Cornish Association, was so fascinated by the Goss brothers' adventure that she invited them to the school to ``inspire the students''.

``I'm all for inspiring children and the story of these brothers is well worth hearing,'' she said.