A LITTLE girl on holidays threw a message in a bottle into the sea.

When the bottle left her hands at the end Bournemouth Pier in southern England, she hoped it would reach her aunt who lives on the island of Gernsey in the middle of the English channel.

Days, then weeks, then months went past and Jasmine Hudson heard nothing. She thought the bottle must have been eaten by a shark.

And then one day a letter arrived in her post box. It came from Largs Bay in South Australia.

After five months at sea the message in a bottle had finally hit land. It had travelled more than 16,000 kilometres.

It was picked up by Barbara Richards as she walked along the beach collecting shells with her brother.

She took the bottle home and jumped onto Google. After confirming that the address in the bottle was indeed real, Barbara wrote Jasmine this message.

“Dear Jasmine, As fate would have it we have been introduced to each other by your message in a bottle, Bournemouth Pier looks very interesting.

I searched online on the computer to find out what I could, yes the pier exists and yes your address was there too.

Your message in a bottle took five months to float up on Largs Bay Beach in South Australia.

My name is Barbara. My brother Colin and I were walking along the beach for some exercise collecting shells and reminiscing about our childhood when I saw your little bottle.

I scooped it up and we drove home with it where we opened it. I must share with you that I was so excited to find a message in a bottle.

I hope my note finds you well and brings you joy to know it has landed safely into my hands on the 13th of September 2012.

If you would like to communicate I am also on Facebook or just write and let me know you received my note. Until then I wish you well, stay safe.

Yours Truly Barbara Richards “

Jasmine’s mother Louise warned her daughter not to get her hopes up. She feared her little girl would be bitterly disappointed. She thought the bottle would never really return.

“Jasmine’s grandparents had bought her a message in a bottle kit when they went on holiday as a present,” Mrs Hudson told the Daily Mail.

“It’s supposed to be a bit of a novelty, but we were going on holiday to Bournemouth, so we thought we’d fill it in and take it along.

“Jasmine’s aunt lives in Guernsey, so we said we’d see if we could get the bottle to float a few miles across the channel.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think it would get all the way to Australia.”

It did. And Jasmine and Barbara are now in contact via Facebook. Letters in bottles take far too long to reach Australia.

