No 5/2003 - September 2003 |
Lighthouses of Australia Inc Bulletin PO
Box 4734, Knox City VIC 3152 Australia |
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Letter
from the Editor
Welcome to the September Bulletin, edition 5/2003.
This edition is a little late due to family illness, but it has meant we have been able to include some last minute news about Deal Island and Jarman Island.
In
this issue, we conclude the story of Annette Flotwell's east
coast lighthouse trip photographing our lighthouses for her lighthouse
calendar, Lighthouses of Australia. Her journey continues southward
from the Clarence
River Lighthouse at Yamba in northern NSW to Burrewarra Point Lighthouse
in southern NSW. I would like to thank Annette for providing LoA with
such a great story and fabulous photographs.
We
have reprinted a fascinating story titled "The
Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses", which originally appeared
in a booklet titled "The Commonwealth Lighthouse Service - Its
Formation and Early Development". The seven years between
1913 and 1920 can be termed the Golden Age of Australian lighthouses,
due to the amount of building and expenditure on lighthouses during
this time.
Continuing our profiling of Lighthouses of Australia Inc committee members, we meet Denise Shultz, our enthusiastic and tireless President. Denise did not even see her first lighthouse until she was fourteen - and fell in love with them after seeing Cape Otway Lighthouse in Victoria.
In
Australian News, we have an update of the condition of the Deal
Island lighthouse tower. The tower has been slowly deteriorating
since being deactivated in 1992, although many concerned groups, including
Friends of the Kent Group National Park, Wildcare and the Marine &
Coastal Community Network, are working together to preserve this light.
We also have fantastic news from WA, where The Shire of Roebourne has been awarded a $75,000 grant under the Australian Government's Regional Tourism Program to conserve and restore the 19th century Jarman Island Lighthouse.
John
Ibbotson, author & photographer of "Lighthouses of Australia:
Images from the End of an Era" is publishing another book, this
time titled "Lighthouses of Australia -
A Visitor's Guide". This will be a glovebox guide to 150
of Australia's 'classic' lighthouses, with photos, maps, and information
on how to get there, services available, cost, contact information and
accommodation details. I’m sure all lighthouse enthusiasts will be eagerly
awaiting this latest addition to the limited bibliography of Australian
lighthouse books.
We
also review the lighthouse-themed novel "The
Alphabet of Light and Dark" - this year's winner of the
prestigious Vogel Literary Award for the best novel by a young Australian
unpublished author, written by Danielle Wood. The Cape Bruny Light,
at the southern tip of Bruny Island off Tasmania's south-east coast,
is the pivotal setting of this book.
In
Notices, we advise that the Macquarie Lighthouse
in Sydney, Australia’s first lighthouse, is now open to the public every
second month on a weekend day. Tours are conducted by volunteers from
the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, and access is limited and by appointment
only.
The
Beacons by the Sea: Stories of Australian Lighthouses
touring exhibition being run by the National Archives of Australia is
now on show at the SA Maritime Museum. This exhibition, which includes
architectural drawings, photographs and logbooks, began in Canberra
in October 2002, and is open at the SA Maritime Museum until 23 November
2003. The tour continues throughout Australia until 2006.
LoA
member, well-known artist, and former Royal Australian Navy officer,
Dacre Smyth, author of "The Lighthouses of Victoria",
is launching a new book, "Australia from the
Sea" at an exhibition in Melbourne in early October. Paintings
will also be on sale.
We
also have a number of letters from readers discussing
their family's long histories over many generations working as lighthouse
keepers at Australian lighthouses. One reader describes how they inadvertently
became a lighthouse keeper for a night at the age of 16, when no one
else was available!
Enjoy reading this Bulletin, and if you are not a member of Lighthouses of Australia, and would like to be involved in preserving, promoting and protecting Australia's lighthouses, join now!
Kristie Eggleston
LoA Bulletin Editor
Email
Bulletin Editor
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Annette Flotwell's East Coast Lighthouse Trip: Part 3
See also Annette Flotwell's East Coast Lighthouse Trip: Part 1 and Part 2
We continue the story of Annette Flotwell's travels around Australia photographing our lighthouses for her lighthouse calendar, Lighthouses of Australia, published in the USA.
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Annette's story began in the September 2001 Bulletin, where we documented her journey from the Low Isles Lighthouse at Port Douglas in far north Queensland, to Dent Island Lighthouse in the Whitsundays, Qld. Part 2 continued in the August 2003 Bulletin, where she travelled south from Flat Top Island Lighthouse at Mackay Harbour, Qld, to the Richmond River Lighthouse at Ballina in northern NSW. This last segment in her journey continues southward from the Clarence River Lighthouse at Yamba in northern NSW to Burrewarra Point Lighthouse in southern NSW. It was getting late so we headed as fast as you can in an old Toyota to the Clarence River Lighthouse at Yamba. Joan had told me in Mount Isa: Don't miss Yamba, you can eat excellent seafood while looking at the light. At first, we were a bit puzzled which pub or restaurant would fit the description. A painter had a contract to start painting the lighthouse the next day, so I was lucky to be there before they scaffolded it. The weather was quite bad, though. The painter directed us to the right pub - and everything was perfect. I asked if I could put my tripod on the veranda to take the pictures, but the publican replied: "Why, you can put the tripod next to your bed if you like. I'll put you in room number xx.' And it became even better: I was just having an excellent fish, when just before dusk the sun came out. I ran up to our room, did two or three exposures and went back to my fish. And the dawn was as good as the dusk. The next day we enjoyed some of the local crabs for breakfast while we watched the painter installing the cherry picker. Later, the weather became grey and stormy - that's why Smoky Cape looks so dramatic. Tacking Point was still in bad weather, but it didn't trouble me too much, as lighthouses in New South Wales always come in couples. Crowdy Head was fine the next day. We were a bit nervous about how touristy Myall Lakes might have become, as it was 13 years since we had been there. Fortunately, carrying the tripod and camera all the long way up the stairs at Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse was well worth the effort. The present caretakers had painted the keeper's houses beautifully and there was a lot of maritime paraphernalia to admire. No one asked about photo permits, either. We arrived in Newcastle to take some pictures of Nobbys Head, a true inner city lighthouse, but we didn't linger long there. Norah Head was just the place to be at dusk, where we were pleased to see that this lighthouse still has its own proper fresnel lens. Sydney was our next stop - we had to cope with the stop-and-go traffic and we did not fancy that in our ancient vehicle. But the walk up Barranjoey Head was a pure pleasure. Up there you wouldn't believe the city is so near. After we had been to Hornby and the Macquarie Light in rush hour, we called it a day, only thinking of the emergency exit to Wollongong. We finally found the only caravan park and had a dramatic view of the lighthouse the next morning. The lantern of the old lighthouse was missing due to renovations. Again, there was a twin in Ulladulla waiting for me! Of course, Kiama Lighthouse was not to be missed. Took me two hours to get one picture without cars and tourists. We humans are never easily satisfied and so I longed for the loneliness of Western Australia again, even if it meant long drives and carrying the tripod god-knows-where. Crookhaven Head was the next destination. What a pity it had been demolished by vandals. Still, it is a nice pleasant walk if you don't carry anything except the camera. Point Perpendicular is roughly on the same peninsula and a true highlight among Australian Lighthouses. It is beautifully maintained. I wonder why, given that it is out-of-the-way. So there was only Ulladulla left when we found the last coastal campground south of Batemans Bay. My mood improved a lot when I saw my calendar for sale there for the first time. This unique caravan park had a tiny seafood restaurant on the premises with only three pre-booked tables. It was just the place to say goodbye to the rainy coast, after seeing the only Queensland style lighthouse of NSW in Burrewarra Point. After we had punished the poor old Toyota up the Divide, the rain had started the big flooding in NSW. We had departed just in time. I still want to visit the lighthouses of Victoria, and Kangaroo Island again. |
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The Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses
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The Breaksea Lightship, stationed on the Breaksea Spit to the North of Sandy Cape, was one of three built under the new Commonwealth Lighthouse Service in the 1920s. Photo: From Dusk Till Dawn |
 Wharton Reef Lighthouse, QLD The Wharton Reef Lighthouse,
now relocated to the Townsville Maritime Museum, was built
in 1915 as part of the Commonwealth Lighthouse Services
program to upgrade beacons on the Barrier Reef. |
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The Carpentaria Lightship
was one of three built under the new Commonwealth Lighthouse
Service in the 1920s. It was stationed on Merkara
Shoal, west of Booby Island. |
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East Vernon is typical of
the automatic lights established under Commonwealth control
during the Golden Age of lighthouse. Note the acetylene
cylinders being hauled up from the service boat during
a maintenance schedule. |
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Photo: John Ibbotson |
 Emery Point Lighthouse, NT Photo: Mike Dalrymple |
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Photo: 4Cs Enterprises |
The Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses originally appeared in print in a booklet titled "The Commonwealth Lighthouse Service (CLS) - Its Formation and Early Development" by Michael B. Komesaroff, a Commonwealth Lighthouse Service (Victorian Region) lighthouse engineer. The article is re-printed from The Victorian Historical Journal, Vol 48 No 2 May 1977. Further excerpts from the Victorian Historical Journal, regarding the Lightkeepers and Lighthouse vessels will appear in the next two editions of the Bulletin.
The seven years between 1913 and 1920 might be termed the Golden Age of Australian lighthouses. When the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service was officially formed on the 1st July 1915, it inherited a legacy of many years of colonial and early State government neglect. With the increase in the number of deep draught steam vessels plying the coast, there was also an increasing need for additional lights.
Despite the preoccupation of being at war, limited funds and inadequate lighthouse supply vessels, many important and urgently needed lights were built during this period. Most of this work involved the use of the latest engineering techniques - the construction of the unattended Great Barrier Reef lights was unique at the time, with the large structures built over exposed coral and sand cays. Many unattended lights were converted to acetylene.
The Commonwealth spent a total of £239,345 constructing and improving ocean lighthouses. The greatest volume of work was undertaken in Queensland, where £119,073 was spent. Seven new unattended lighthouses were built north of Cooktown on the Great Barrier Reef. Ridgway and Hood surveyed these sites in 1914 and Ridgway designed the foundations and supervised some of the early site work. Stewart, Wood and then Mehaffey completed the actual construction.
These northern lights were built over a number of seasons between 1914 and 1918, as the work was interrupted by cyclones. Working conditions were arduous and lonely. Floating plant for the project consisted of the Forbes Bros - a 70-ton sailing ketch, the Roogana - also a sailing ketch, a launch and three 30 ft surfboats. No natural stone was available in that region, so the Roogana transported it from Cairns. The Forbes Bros brought clean river sand and water from the mouths of creeks on the mainland.
Both vessels anchored a safe distance from the reef and discharged their cargoes into the surfboats, which were then towed by launch to the works site. Workmen camped on the nearest habitable islet and were taken to the site each day in the launch. White labour was used throughout the construction and the rates of pay varied between twelve shillings a day for a cook and labourer to one pound a day for the foreman.
To assist in the approaches to the western entrance of Torres Strait, an unattended light vessel was established at Merkara Shoal. A similar vessel was used at Breaksea Spit in 1918. Designed by David A. Stevenson, Engineer to the Scottish Light Board, both vessels were constructed at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in 1916.
By far the largest project undertaken was the construction of a major manned lighthouse at Cape Don in the Northern Territory. To avoid the cyclones, this light was built over three eight-month work seasons and supervised by Jackson. Again, working conditions were arduous and lonely.
The Alcairo was used to ship all materials from Darwin - a distance of 105 miles. Because of mangrove swamp and coral outcrops, a small jetty was built to land stores and materials. A two-mile railway track was cleared through the bush from the landing to the work site. Flat-top steel trucks driven by genuine four-legged horsepower took two hours to travel the distance. The construction gang employed on the tower consisted of a foreman, two engine drivers/fitters and seven labourers. The labourers were paid one shilling and nine pence an hour, the fitters two shillings and threepence, and the foreman received one penny an hour more than the fitters.
Other works in the far north included six new buoys for Clarence Strait (N.T.) and new lights at Emery Point (N.T.) and Escape Island (W.A.).
Over £36,000 was spent in District No 3 (Victoria). While most of this work was completed in 1920, the most important projects were undertaken in 1913. In May 1913, Wallach completed the supervision of alterations to the Wilson's Promontory Light. The total cost of this project was £1,930, and this was the first money expended by the Commonwealth in the alteration of a lighthouse.
The first lighthouse built with Commonwealth funds was Citadel Island, which was first lit on 13 November 1913. If, because of the existence of a watchman, Citadel Island is classified as a manned light, then the lighting of Cape Liptrap on 17 November 1913 was the first fully automatic light financed by the Commonwealth. Jackson supervised the site works for both these projects.
Apart from a new buoy at Yatala Shoal, work in South Australia was limited to minor alterations of existing lights.
Lights built during the "Golden Age" of Lighthouses
| Victoria |
~ Citadel Island (1st
light built by Commonwealth - 1913) ~ Cape Liptrap (1913) |
| Tasmania |
~ West Point (1916) ~ Cape Forrestier (1917) ~ Round Hill (1923) ~ Hunter Island (automatic) (1924) ~ Three Hummock Island (automatic) (1924) |
| South Australia | No new construction |
| Western Australia |
~ Eclipse Island (1926) ~ Escape Island (1930) It should be noted that even though there appeared to be little activity in WA, the Commonwealth had advanced funds between 1901 to 1912 to enable Western Australia to build desperately needed lights without having to wait for the formal creation of the Australia Lighthouse Service and the transfer of lights. |
| Queensland |
~ Carpentaria Lightship (1920s) ~ Breaksea Lightship (1920s) ~ Wharton Reef (1915) ~ 17 new automatic lights between Cairns & Thursday Island |
| Northern Territory |
~ Cape Don (1917) ~ East Vernon ~ Emery Point (1915) (replacement of 1900 light) ~ Cape Hotham ~ Cape Fourcroy |
| Source: From Dusk Till Dawn |
By 1920, the Golden Age was ending. Many of the urgently needed lights and modifications recommended by the naval surveyor (Commander Brewis R.N. Retired) had been completed. Brewis had been commissioned by the Commonwealth Government in 1909 to report on the condition of the existing lights and recommend any additional ones.
Detailed work programmes and procedures were established. When compared with the programmes of the present day lighthouse service, the work completed in these years is significant. Many new engineering procedures and applications were introduced. When it is considered that this work was completed under wartime restrictions, it is truly monumental. Perhaps those that go down to the sea and marvel at the fascination of lighthouses will spare a thought for those who pioneered the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.
Acknowledgements: The author wishes to thank Gail Higginbotham and wife, Sandra, for typing the manuscript. Mr Greg Jones drew a map that does not appear here. The author is also indebted to Dr Stephen Murray-Smith for much helpful advice. However, the author accepts responsibility for any errors that may be found.
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LoA Committee member profile - Denise Shultz, President
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LoA President |
Born in the mid-fifties in a landlocked country formerly known as Czechoslovakia, I was fourteen years old before I saw the sea.
My very first experience of a flat horizon uninterrupted by hills or houses was from the end of a wharf in the Port of Varna, on the Black Sea. I remember walking down to my first "lighthouse" and listening to the switch inside the flashing beacon at the end of the breakwater, watching the ships passing out to sea.
Later, I became a chemical engineer, specialising in water technology and environment. My hobbies were mountain climbing and dog training.
I met my husband Paul at university and we came to Australia together. A trip along the west coast of Victoria in 1983 introduced me to Cape Otway Lighthouse. I fell instantly in love with the whole place and we returned every year to stay at Cyril Marriner's Bimbi Park.
As our family grew, we had less time to travel, so lighthouses had to wait for things like making a living, paying the mortgage and assuring good education for our two daughters. Once the girls were older, we started to travel around the Australian coast a little bit more and lighthouses became more and more the focus of these trips, particularly for me.
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Photo: John Ibbotson |
We visited beautiful places like Gabo, Kangaroo and King Island, Sandy Cape and Cape Naturaliste in WA, and stayed at all the Victorian lighthouses and many in other states.
I became associated with LoA in 2000 when I contacted Malcolm about helping with the website. I felt like I needed to do something more substantial to save the endangered species called lighthouses.
After meeting Malcolm, I have gradually progressed from writing articles for the LoA Bulletin to becoming a member of the committee, then LoA Vice-President and then the Prism editor.
I love editing the Prism, which is possibly the only periodical magazine concerned with lighthouses that exists in Australia. I feel I can achieve something useful by publishing the stories, and old articles as well as current news.
A lot of people asked me why I love lighthouses. My answer is, for their romance. Although I have heard it said by ex-keepers that there is no such thing in lightkeeping, and that it is only hard work and heavy responsibility, I do not believe it. Why else would every former lightkeeper feel so nostalgic about the times gone, and why would they want their job back if it were still possible? Not for the hard work, I am sure.
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Update on the condition of Deal Island light tower
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Photo: Kim Shimmin |
The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service is the land manager responsible for the light station buildings on Deal Island. Community groups have assisted the Parks Service in maintaining the islands of the Kent Group, in regard for their natural and cultural heritage values.
The Friends of the Kent Group National Park is now the main vehicle for volunteers who wish to work within the park. National Parks in Tasmania often have volunteer community groups giving assistance with the management of the park. Friends of the Kent Group National Park is incorporated through Wildcare.
The Deal Islanders are an informal group of people who are mainly ex-caretakers, and they operate together as a social network.
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust (TCT) has undertaken some extensive projects on Deal Island with regard to the natural and cultural heritage, and they have spent several thousand dollars on the conservation and maintenance of the Superintendent's Residence. The TCT will probably withdraw from activities on Deal, as the Friends of the Kent Group National Park are possibly better placed for undertaking conservation projects on the island.
The Australian Bush Heritage Fund used to have the lease of Erith Island (also part of the Kent Group of Islands) and for a number of months they were the interim leaseholders of Deal Island. When the National Park was created, all leaseholds were cancelled. The Bush Heritage Fund approved of this move and they no longer have an ongoing role in the management of the Kent Group.
The Marine & Coastal Community Network assists with projects in the Kent Group from time to time. This group is likely to be involved again in the future.
Over the last five years, the volunteers, caretakers, project officers and the Parks Service have invested time and energy into maintaining the Deal Island Lighthouse tower.
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The restored Superintendents'
cottage on Deal Island is now a museum under the association's
administration. |
Dampness in the tower is always going to be an issue in a non-functioning light. The caretakers regularly open both tower doors to give it an airing - in good weather, keeping them open all day before closing them again at dusk. The onset of mould inside the tower is kept at bay by cleaning with bleach, four to six times a year at least. About two weeks after a cleaning, it starts to return and makes the cement render look unsightly, but does not cause any structural problems.
The caretakers regularly rotate the light mechanism to stop it from seizing. The ironwork will always be subject to corrosion - rust never sleeps. When it was a working light the painted surfaces were spotless and the brasswork gleamed. By comparison, it might appear to the casual observer that it is unloved and falling into disrepair these days. The ongoing maintenance may not be obvious, but there are people who are attending to it. An unoccupied lighthouse can always use more TLC.
Since last January's Wildcare maintenance and repair working bee on the generator shed, the power has been used to run a blow heater on a fairly regular basis to help dry out the inside of the tower. During Stuart Dudgeon's period of caretaking, he freed up some of the previously blocked ventilator holes that had apparently been sealed up after the 1995 fire.
The next proposed Wildcare working bee on Deal Island will be in January 2004. The first objective will be rust treatment and internal painting of the metal work inside the tower. Professional painters have offered their services as volunteers.
The caretaking project is in conjunction with the Cultural Heritage section of Parks, and the second objective will be track maintenance - the weed species selected for treatment will be those that are most vulnerable in terms of their growth cycle and in small enough quantities at selected sites to be tackled.
This update was provided by Christian Bell
Marine & Coastal
Community Network
Tasmania & South East Australia Coordinator
Phone: +61 03 6223 4013 or 0427 872670
Fax: +61 03 6231 2491
GPO Box 567
Hobart TAS 7001
AUSTRALIA
Email
Christian Bell
The Marine & Coastal Community Network was the recipient of the National 2003 Banksia award. It is funded by the Commonwealth Government NHT2 program.
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Jarman Island Lighthouse - great news!
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The Shire of Roeburne
has been awarded a $75,000 grant to restore the Jarman Island
Lighthouse. |
The Shire of Roebourne has been awarded a $75,000 grant under the Australian Government's Regional Tourism Program to conserve and restore the 19th century Jarman Island Lighthouse.
The lighthouse is a heritage listed structure and is built from cast iron. The Western Australian Museum and a heritage architect passed the structure integrity of the lighthouse for restoration.
Once restored, the lighthouse would provide a significant tourism opportunity.
Barry Haase, Federal Member for Kalgoorlie, congratulated the Shire of Roebourne.
"The refurbishment of the lighthouse will occur in stages, with the first stage to address the external condition of the building", said Mr Haase. "By restoring the structure to its former splendour, visitors from far and wide will be able to appreciate the glazed windows and striking red-and-white of the lighthouse, then enjoy an unadulterated 360 degree view of the island.
Tourism in Roebourne will focus on the Jarman Island Lighthouse as result of the restoration, aiming to attract a wide audience.
"Regional tourism is so important to communities in the Pilbara, and funding under the Regional Tourism Program can help to upgrade facilities, making them more attractive to Australian and overseas visitors," Mr Haase said.
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Jarman Island Lighthouse
and partially restored cottages from the air. |
The Regional Tourism Program provides funding for the development of tourism attractions, facilities, special interest markets and cultural and heritage attractions in regional and rural centres.
Robynn Offer & Jo Pritchard
Shire of Roebourne
Local History Office
PO Box 219
KARRATHA WAY 6714
Phone: 08 9185 2553
Fax: 08 9159 6855
Email
Shire of Roebourne
Source: Newspaper article "Pilbara News"
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New book from John Ibbotson
to be launched in October:
Lighthouses of Australia - A Visitor's Guide
This will be an A5-size (210mm x 160mm), high quality, 264 page, throw-in-the-car guide to 150 of Australia's 'classic' lighthouses, with 180 colour photos, 8 maps, and information on how to get there, services available, cost and contact info (if applicable) and whether there is accommodation available in the keepers' cottages. It will retail for about $35.
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Photo: John Ibbotson |
John says it will be of a similar quality to his last book, Lighthouses of Australia - Images from the End of an Era - and classier than a typical travel book. He has not included all the classic lighthouses in Australia, purposely keeping the size of this book smaller to make it more affordable.
As it contains how-to-get-there info, prices and phone numbers, the book will eventually become dated. Updates will be listed on his website: http://www.lighthouses.com.au
John also intends to reprint Lighthouses of Australia - Images from the End of an Era soon. We ask our readers to forward any corrections or changes for John to include before it goes to press. He will require a verifiable source to support any information that he receives.
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Photo: John Ibbotson |
Another project under way is a 'complete' record of all first order lenses that have been used in Australia. This includes technical data, when they arrived, a history of where each one has been installed and where it is currently located.
John would appreciate any information about
these lenses that readers can send to him. All information can be
sent via
email
John Ibbotson.
d.m. press in Canberra is producing a number of high quality Australian calendars and diaries for 2004. In one of the calendars will be photos from Lighthouses of Australia - Images from the End of an Era, and they should be available some time in September, from places that sell calendars.
John Ibbotson endorses our work in the Bulletin, stating, "It's a great publication that you people are putting together."
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Book review: The Alphabet of Light and Dark
The Alphabet of Light and Dark
by Danielle Wood
Allen & Unwin, 2003, ISBN 1-74114-065-X
A Review by David Hurburgh
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Photo: Allen & Unwin |
Lighthouses are starting to loom large in Australian literature. A few years back, the madcap children's author Paul Jennings gave us Round the Twist, which was set at the Split Point light at Airey's Inlet, Victoria. Last year, Joanna Murray-Smith's Judgement Rock took us to Deal Island in Bass Strait, where the lighthouse, and its keeper, played a central role in her book.
This year's winner of the prestigious Vogel Literary Award for the best novel by a young Australian unpublished author is Danielle Wood, with her novel The Alphabet of Light and Dark. The Cape Bruny Light, at the southern tip of Bruny Island off Tasmania's south-east coast, is the pivotal setting of this remarkable new book.
The novel has a strong sense of being part-biographical and, in part, a deliberate semi-fictionalised family history. The author's great-great grandfather Captain William Hawkins was Superintendent of the Cape Bruny Lightstation from 1874 to 1914. The lead character of the book is a twenty-ish woman, Essie Westwood, who is unashamedly on a voyage of self-discovery. She is an oceanographer and aspiring author who goes to Cape Bruny to research her family's past and at the same time look for meaning in her own life.
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Photo: Robert Campbell |
Danielle Wood uses the clever device of having a book written within a book. In italicised script, we read fragments of the story that Essie is writing. This is the tale of her forebear's experiences on Bruny in the late 1800s, written as a first-hand contemporary account. It captures the sense of period: the incredible hardships that lighthouse families endured, the isolation and the challenging physical environment.
Romantic interest in the novel is introduced when Essie crosses paths with part-time sculptor, feral cat-hunter and (most importantly) lighthouse caretaker Pete Shelverton. We learn that Essie and Pete knew each other briefly as children, but now as adults, they recognize each other as lost soul mates. The author manages the difficult task of taking us convincingly inside the minds of both characters.
This book will reward lovers of lighthouses. The author captures the atmosphere, the sense-of-place and the beauty of the location of Cape Bruny light. Some details on the light itself are a bit askew. She describes "... a column of leadweights descended, hung in counterbalance to the lantern above." These of course are the weights (not counterweights) that are wound up by the keeper's hand, in order to operate the clockwork drive that rotates the light.
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Photo: Tony Wheeler |
Lighthouse buffs will love the reference to an artefact that Essie inherited from her great-great-grandfather. It's a small bottle containing layers of brown and white guano that spell out LADY ELLIOT ISLAND, 1869. Lady Elliot is one of Queensland's oldest lighthouses, located at the southern tip of The Great Barrier Reef.
Some readers will find the author's style, particularly in the first sixty pages of the book, a bit overloaded with adjectival descriptions - there is barely a noun that doesn't get two or more (and often hyphenated) qualifiers.
In her acknowledgments, Ms Wood thanks her editor for her "gentle" editing. The editor should have picked up some glaring bloopers. At one stage, we have Pete listening to the news on ABC's Radio National in his car. The reception fades to static near his house and Pete reflects that he likes to be "... out of range, out of touch." A chapter or so later he "reached a hand towards the remote control of his television." We also hear Essie's ex-boyfriend, David the geologist, describing how the moon was formed. It was plucked away from the earth, driven by the sun's "magnetic force". Surely this is a matter of some gravity?
Danielle Wood's achievements as a writer shine through when you appreciate how effectively she adopts the different voices of her characters. She can range from the convincing gentility of her Victorian-era female forebears to the brusque, blokiness of Pete.
The most powerful scenes in the book have an almost dream-like quality. The author was evidently inspired by Gaelic folk-tales of water sprites and storm-girls. In this book, the link between the transcendental and the tangible world is the lighthouse itself.
The topical issue of lighthouse preservation is gently touched upon in this book. When we are told that a modern automated beacon has replaced the historic light, we learn:
"... the lighthouse is now dead, but perfectly preserved; a monument marking the intersection of nature and man's attempt to tame it."
The Alphabet of Light and Dark is recommended reading for people who want to be transported to one of the wildest and most windswept outposts of southern Australia. For lighthouse lovers, it's almost as good as being there.
© David Hurburgh 2003
Email
David Hurburgh
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Macquarie Lighthouse open to the public
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The Macquarie Lighthouse
is to be opened to the public. |
Since The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust took over the management of Macquarie Lighthouse a couple of years ago and has completed repairs to the building, they are now able to open the tower to the public every second month on a weekend day, following the recent negotiation of a tourist access licence with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
"The lighthouse provides a key focal point along the coastal walk between South Head and Maroubra, and the Harbour Trust is keen to provide greater public access and awareness of the site", said Geoff Bailey, Executive Director of the Harbour Trust.
The Harbour Trust's team of dedicated volunteers will take groups of ten to the top of the lighthouse every 15 minutes between 10:00am to 4:00pm.
There are many historical features to see and learn about, including remnants from the original tower and the 1883 De Meritens generator and switchboard that used to generate electricity to power the lighthouse.
Macquarie Lighthouse was built in 1883, and it closely resembles the original Greenway-designed lighthouse, which stood only a few metres away. The original lighthouse started to erode only 50 years after it was built and for a short time, the old and new lighthouses stood side-by-side on South Head.
Today, the lighthouse is still used for its initial intended purpose - as a guiding light to show sailors the way to the harbour entrance.
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The Macquarie Lighthouse
is to be opened to the public. |
The last lighthouse staff left in 1989 after the light became automated. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority operates the light and has issued the Harbour Trust with a licence to run regular tours. The former head lighthouse keeper's cottage and the assistant lighthouse keeper's quarters on the site are privately leased.
Macquarie Lighthouse is one of seven properties around Sydney Harbour that are managed by the Harbour Trust. In December last year the Harbour Trust exhibited a plan for all its lands, including Macquarie Lighthouse, which will be implemented over 10 years.
The plan proposes the ongoing conservation of the lighthouse and adjacent buildings, and improved interpretative activities and tours to explain its history, architecture and technology. Intrusive elements on the site will be addressed and relationships to the coastal walk and adjacent parks improved.
Macquarie Lighthouse is located at Old South Head Road, Vaucluse.
Take a tour to learn about the history of this remarkable place - Australia's first and longest operating lighthouse - and enjoy the magnificent harbour and city views. Macquarie Lighthouse will be open to the public on Saturday 23 August from 10am-4pm.
Cost:
$5 Adults
$3 Concession/Child
$13 Family (2 adults and up to three children)
Bookings essential and limited:
Phone (02) 8969 2131
Mon-Fri 9am-5pmSydney Harbour Federation Trust
PO Box 607
Mosman NSW 2088
Check out details online at http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au
For more information, contact Kate Langford
Email
Harbour Trust
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The lure of lighthouses at the South Australian Maritime Museum
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Whether it’s their distinctive architecture, their splendid isolation, or the romantic associations they conjure, it seems almost everyone has a soft spot for lighthouses. With this in mind, the National Archives of Australia has produced Beacons By The Sea: Stories of Australian Lighthouses, a touring exhibition on show at the SA Maritime Museum until 23 November 2003.
The exhibition traces the history of lighthouses in Australia from the time of European colonisation through to automation. It looks at lighthouses from inside and out, recalling the humorous, sad and sometimes tragic stories and experiences of lighthouse keepers and their families over the last 100 years.
Featuring lighthouse plans, letters, log books, photographs and film, the exhibition highlights the architecture and design of lighthouses, their role during war, shipwrecks, myths and changing technology.
There's an interesting array of objects including nautical flags, a lighthouse spittoon and even the original optic (glass lens, prism and revolving pedestal) that shone faithfully on Little Fitzroy Island from 1927 to 1973 when it was replaced by a solar electric light.
The South Australian Maritime Museum is located at 126 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide and is open 10am to 5pm every day. Admission charges are $8.50 adults, $6.50 concession, $3.50 children or $22.00 for a family ticket.
For further details contact the South Australian Maritime Museum on 08 8207 6255.
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Australia From the Sea - Exhibition by Dacre Smyth
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Cape Pillar, Tasmania
- a painting from the new book Australia From the Sea |
Commodore Dacre Smyth AO, former Royal Australian Naval Officer in Charge, Chairman of the War Memorial Foundation and Life Governor of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, is a well-known artist, author, and publisher of twelve books of paintings. His published works include:
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The Bridges of the Yarra (1979)
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The Lighthouses of Victoria (1980)
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Historic Ships of Australia (1982)
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Old Riverboats of the Murray (1982)
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Views of Victoria in the Steps of von Guerard (1984)
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The Bridges of Kananook Creek (1986)
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Waterfalls of Victoria (1988)
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Gallipoli Pilgrimage (1990)
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Immigrant Ships to Australia (1992)
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Pictures in my Life (1994)
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Images of Melbourne (1998)
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Australia from the Air (2001)
His thirteenth book, Australia from the Sea, is to be launched at his 26th exhibition and sale of paintings. His wife, Jennifer Smyth, will also be launching her first book, Reminiscences of Ages Past.
The exhibition will be held at:
| Where: The Australian Guild of Realist Artists' Gallery Guild House 1 Inglesby Road Camberwell Victoria 3124 Australia Phone 03 9882 5859 (Melway reference 59 K2) |
When: 1-12 October 2003 Hours: |
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Cape Byron Lighthouse & Christopher James Gardner
I am an Education Officer at Cape Byron. Having read Issue 4/2003 of Lighthouse Bulletin, it has come to my attention that the reply is not 100% accurate. Mr Gardner was 2nd Assistant Keeper at Cape Byron in 1901. We have a photocopy of the original guest book from the Lighthouse opening ceremony (from the National Archives of Australia) with his signature. We would like to get in contact with you about Mr Gardner as presently we are researching our Lighthouse history. May we call or email you? Regards, Sally Watterson |
Lighthouse keepers in NSW - Josiah, Fred Sr, Fred Jr & Bill Warren
There is a man named Jervis Sparks who has written a book called "Tales from Barranjoey" which includes some information about my relatives in it. (See "Jervis & Bridget Sparks Say Farewell to Barranjoey") My great-grandfather was Josiah Lambert Warren, born 1861. He joined the lighthouse service in 1892 and was a keeper at Nobbys Head, Montague Island, Cape Byron and Barranjoey, where he served from 1917 - 1922. His son (my grandfather), Fred Stephen Lambert Warren was born in 1893. He too was a lighthouse keeper at South Solitary, Barranjoey, Green Cape, and Macquarie lighthouse between 1927 and 1953, when he retired. My father, Joe Warren, grew up living on these lights. His older brother Fred, who was born in 1921, became a keeper at Montague Island, South Solitary Island and Green Cape lighthouses. There was another son named Bill, born 1924, who was a maintenance technician / mechanic on various lightstations in NSW. He repaired the mechanism, painted, mowed grass and maintained the lights at Barranjoey from 1927- 1932. I think he was also at Norah Head.
That is as much as I know - my father was the youngest of the children and is now 75. His brothers are deceased. It's hard to get more info. There are guided tours at Macquarie lighthouse and I took my dad and my children to see the lighthouse. We walked up all those stairs and I explained to my two daughters that this is where their great grandfather lived and worked until he retired. My father had fond memories of when he lived there. I took a photo of my two children on top of the lighthouse. Inside Macquarie lighthouse there is a plaque on the wall with my uncle's name on it - Bill Warren. Regards, Joanne Grech |
Lighthouse keeper for a night at Dent Island
Dear LoA, My parents were Jacobus and Maria Wildeboer, and they were keepers on Dent Island for about 10 months in 1964. My brother and I were there before I joined the Army. My dad had to go into Mackay one day because of teeth problems and my mother was asked to look after the light for the night. She became sick and I did the midnight shift for her. I was 16 at the time and slept fitfully up in the tower that night to make sure I did not let the light stop. I have never been able to share that story before...I was always chuffed that I was a Lighthouse Keeper for one night. Well, maybe half the night. I remember Lean and Bill Wallace who had a tourist display at the far end of the island, and Hue Hope was the boat owner who would bring out our supplies every two weeks. The Head keeper's name was Williams....his first name escapes me now. He had a dog... we went goat shooting for him. He had a lease on a little island a short distance off Dent Island, and he was building a house on it when I was there. It might've been called Plum Pudding Island, or it might've been Titan Island, and you could only walk there on low tide. There was about six foot of water at high tide with small white stingrays that would lay just under the sand, as well as oysters that would cut you to pieces if you walked across in the wrong place. One time, my brother and I were walking along the beach close to this little island across from Hamilton. We came across some people who had been dropped there after being rescued from their boat, which had hit a reef and was very badly damaged. They told us that the owner of the island, who ran cattle there, had picked them up in his barge and told them to stay there as long as they wanted. My parents also worked on Lady Elliot Island, off Bundaberg, where I visited them one Christmas when I was in the Army. I spent three or four weeks there, snorkelling around the reef. Regards, Laurens Wildeboer |
Herbert Glover & family - Lighthouse Keepers at NSW lights
What a fantastic job you have been doing! Keep up the good work! I am just finishing a book about my family which my grandma actually wrote and I have just compiled it and added the photos. My grandfather's family were lightkeepers in NSW. My Pa's dad (Herbert Glover) was apparently the youngest keeper in NSW when appointed at 21 years of age and his Dad (William John Glover, known as "Alf") was supposed to have been a keeper at every NSW light at that time. His father (William Glover) was the first keeper at the Inner Light (Nelson Head), Port Stephens. Seeing your information about Montague Island reminded me of a story that happened to my great grandfather (Herb Glover). He was fishing with his dad when he was only about seven years old and he fell in.
The water was many feet below where they had been standing and his Dad (William "Alf") couldn't see him anywhere, but he felt the lad pulling on his fishing line (heavy cord line, not like today's fine line!). Herb had become entangled in it, and had all but drowned. His dad pulled him in to the edge of the rocks but couldn't pull him up, so he secured the line and scrambled down the rocks to his son. He couldn't carry him up the rocks because he needed his hands to climb, so he took Herb's waistcoat in his teeth and climbed back up the rocks and then was able to resuscitate him!!!! Wow! Now if Herb had not been resuscitated I wouldn't be here! I don't know anything about tracing my family tree, but this has certainly whetted my appetite! Thanks, Candace Humphreys |
North Reef Lighthouse query - carved poem
I recently found your site and was interested to see the North Reef Lighthouse page. In 1967/68, I worked at Heron Island when it was owned by the Poulson family. I was a tour guide/boat hostie, etc, in those days and I went to some very interesting places with Bob and the crew and scientist Bob Endean - one of which was a trip to the North Reef Lighthouse. I remember feeling very self-conscious as I was the only female on that trip and the lighthouse keepers of course were all male. I remember being quite overcome with the isolation and what their lives must have been like and I have never forgotten it. There was a 'poem' near the entrance to the lighthouse - I think it was on the beach and possibly engraved into coral, concrete or timber. Unfortunately, the words are forgotten to me now. I remembered them for many years, even after travelling overseas, and should have written them down, for they expressed the loneliness and forlorn isolation of the place. It would be great to find the words and maybe have them on the website. Have you been in contact with any of the men who served there? Do you think the poem would still be there? Best wishes, Rhonda Bryce ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Hello Rhonda, Bob Todkill of Queensland believes the carved poem in a whale bone was the work of a Jack Mitchell who was a keeper there around 1949. Jack was an illustrator for newspapers or magazines.
The words on the whale bone are:
It appears that the whalebone may have been removed. Bob has sent us a photo taken about 1962. The gentlemen in the photo are Pat Breslin and Des Walsh. Regards Steve Merson |
Searching for information about James Allen Dixon - Lighthouse Keeper at Green Cape Lighthouse
Photo: 4Cs Enterprises
Dear LoA My husband's father was James Allen Dixon and he was a keeper at Green Cape lighthouse around 1945-47, so far as he remembers, and he thinks perhaps at one or two others.
I would appreciate if someone has any information regarding him.
Thank you for your kind assistance.
With Regards,
Joy Dixon
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Join Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
It is up to those of you who believe in the Preservation, Protection and Promotion of Australia's lighthouse heritage to throw your hat into the ring, whether it just be a financial member or direct involvement on the committee, web pages, the Bulletin or some other aspect that could enrich the site.
- Join Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
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Thankyou
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How can you help
If you have or know of material that Lighthouses of Australia (LoA) could use, we would love to hear from you. Contact LoA with the details, or send us some feedback.
Please email
What you can help with is:
- Location and correct names of lighthouses in Australia (currently have 115 on our research list and we believe the figure should be around 200)
- Good quality recent B&W or colour photos
- A bit of the background of these lights
- Technical history or operational data (such as how many flashes, etc)
- Interesting historical stories or anecdotes
- Details of keepers
- Details of lighthouse graves
- Old photos or postcards
- Conservation and preservation issues
- Errors or omissions
- Other pages on Australian lighthouses not listed here
For more information about how you can help LoA, visit the How You Can Help page.
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New Pages & Links
New Pages for Australia:
 Point Danger Lighthouse, Southern Queensland |
 Old Burnett Heads Lighthouse Central Queensland |
 New Burnett Heads Lighthouse Central Queensland |
New Links for Australia: Volunteer needed to help with links for Australia
New Links for World: Volunteer needed to help with links for World
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Thanks to
Thanks to the following people for their help with this edition of the Bulletin:
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Thanks to all the people who have put links to the site, and those who let LoA use their photos for thumbnails.
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Past Bulletins: Past Monthly News, Preservation or Access Bulletins can be accessed from the Bulletin Index.
Contact Lighthouses of Australia Inc: Contact details for various queries to Lighthouses of Australia Inc (LoA Inc).
Contact:
Email
Bulletin Editor
Copyright:
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© 2002-2003 Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
