In 1792, twenty-one escaped Irish convicts escaped Sydney with a paper compass that they had drawn.. They started walking to China which they believed was about 150 miles to the north. Whenever they came to an obstacle such as a cliff face or the ocean, they simply turned the compass around and headed "north" again. They were eventually found, naked and starving and had managed to travel twenty-six miles. Not quite to China.....
True story.