Paddy was using a state of the art Minelab SD-2200D metal detector capable of finding metallic objects of 20 grams and above as much as a metre below the surface.
Searching in an auriferous area which was largely untouched during the gold rush days of the 19th century for lack of water, as well as finding several small nuggets in the 10 to 20 gram bracket, he got a signal from a larger object at some depth.
What emerged was an apparently un-rusted object which seemed to be made of iron, but which had a regular shape, clearly some sort of artefact and 2.2 kilograms in weight.
Spectroscopic analysis of a small sample extracted with some difficulty by the Western Australian Department of Mines indicated that the material was an alloy of Iron, Nickel, Tungsten, Titanium and graphite.
Carbon-dated to be approximately 7 million years old, JPL scientists cautiously consider that this may be part of, or lost from some alien space craft a considerably time ago and that it has perhaps been lost in space for millions of years before crashing to Earth.
The precise nature of the object and its function are yet to be determined, but a high-level committee of US and Australian scientists is currently understood to be engaged in study of its structure.
When the Prime Minister's office was asked to comment, it was reported that Mr Howard was alarmed but not alert.