The man accused of making the massive, potentially deadly batch of the explosive TATP found in a West Australian estuary was trying to impress his mates and not cause deliberate carnage, a court has heard.
Bunbury man Ben Roberts has been charged with five counts of making or possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances between July and October this year.
Roberts was granted bail on Tuesday at a hearing in Bunbury Magistrates Court, which was told his intentions were not sinister but, rather, a foolish stunt that began with a search on the internet for explosive recipes.
Defence lawyer Derek Hunter said Roberts had made the batch of the volatile explosive with the intention of making a "water fountain" in the estuary, but the explosions had failed.
The three-kilogram batch of the substance was later found by a fisherman, sparking a massive police operation.
Mr Hunter said Roberts would plead guilty to the charges of making the explosive, and would consider two extra charges of endangering the life and health of the public, which have also been laid.
The court heard Roberts had looked up the recipe on Google, and had successfully made several small explosions after buying the ingredients locally.
But prosecutor Sergeant Barry Phelps said the cache found in the estuary had the very real potential to cause massive damage, revealing a small sample of the explosive had ignited in Bunbury police station.
Had it detonated in the wrong place at the wrong time, it could have been devastating, Sgt Phelps said.
At a hearing last week, the court was told Roberts had made "full and frank admissions" to police following his arrest.
The charges came following the alarming discovery of two separate packages of TATP late last month - the largest ever haul of the substance in Australia - and a third package that was considered suspicious.
The first, weighing around three kilograms, was found hidden under water near a jetty at Leschenault Estuary, Australind.
A second package was found at the site days later.
Both packages were destroyed in controlled detonations.
A third package was discovered at a disused caravan park at Peppermint Grove Beach in the Capel region and later destroyed.
TATP, also known as "Mother of Satan", was used in the London terrorist bombings in 2005.
It is created through a chemical reaction between hydrogen peroxide and acetone, is highly volatile and particularly susceptible to heat, friction and shock.
Roberts' next court hearing is set for December 13.
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