Monthly Bulletin March/April 2005 - Vol 8 No. 2

Peninsula Lighthouse Tour

by Steve Merson, LoA Chief Editor & Kristie Eggleston, Bulletin Editor

Garry Searle, LoA Inc's South Australia state representative, was planning a trip to Melbourne and we thought it was good reason to visit a lighthouse or two and share our interest.

We organised a day's outing to include an exclusive visit to the Eastern Lighthouse at McCrae (permission was sought from Allan Kidd at Parks Victoria's Rosebud Foreshore office), and the Cape Schanck Lighthouse, both located on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. A merry band of enthusiasts met on a blustery Saturday morning early in March to see these two vastly different, but equally impressive lights.

The Eastern Lighthouse at McCrae, built by Chance Bros in 1874, is an externally braced riveted steel tower situated on the shore of Port Philip Bay, 40km south of Melbourne. It replaced a wooden tower that had stood there since 1854, which was moved to Arthur's Seat to be used as a lookout. The light in the new tower did not commence operating until 1883, and was used in conjunction with the South Channel Pile Light to guide ships through the South Channel.

The central column is only 1.5 metres in diameter, housing a steep spiral stairway with 120 steps that lead up to a well-maintained lantern room containing the non-rotating lens system, which comprised dioptric, catadioptric and holophotal arrangements. (Information is required from readers who may know more about the operation and history of this light - contact Steve Merson)

The South Channel Pile light was shut down in 1985, relocated away from the entrance to the channel and then restored. The Eastern Light, or McCrae lighthouse as it is more widely known, was decommissioned in 1994 and ownership was handed over to the Rosebud Foreshore Office of Parks Victoria. The original keepers' cottages are long gone and the tower is surrounded by a car park off Point Nepean Road between Rosebud and McCrae.

Due to the confined space within the tower, only about six people at one time can ascend - the steps are quite small and narrow, and there are no landings between the ground and the lantern room. The tower is 34 metres high, and the view from the balcony across the bay is grand. Many photos were taken, as usual.

LoA Inc. thanks Parks Victoria for the opportunity to climb the tower, and we acknowledge them for keeping it in good condition. Vigilance is paramount to prevent the elements and vandalism from destroying our rare and valuable maritime heritage. Cheers to Sarah Carroll, the Customer Services Officer for Mornington Western Port District, Parks Victoria for her time and friendly cooperation on the day.

The light apparatus comprises dioptric, catadioptric and holophotal arrangements Photograph: Steve Merson	Overlooking the balcony railing to a passing container ship Photograph: Steve Merson	The light apparatus in the McCrae Lighthouse Photograph: Steve Merson
Denise Shultz on the balcony at McCrae Lighthouse.  Photograph: Steve Merson	Sarah Carroll & Steve Merson compare notes on the McCrae Lighthouse Photograph: Garry Searle	The clouds temporarily part, bathing the tower in sunshine, just after the tour had finished. Photograph: Kristie Eggleston

The troupe of pharophiles then drove down the Rosebud-Flinders Road to the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula. Around a bend on the Cape Schanck Road, the classic white lighthouse with red dome appears above the ti-tree in the National Park. 

We leave our cars in the car park and Tony Sheer meets us at the ticket office. He and his wife Prue are the caretakers, and they have kindly made a shed available for our gathering. Bass Strait extends its greeting with some blustery weather as we head for the shelter and fire up the barbie and the kettle for lunch before taking a tour of this beautifully preserved light station. 

Present are Paul & Denise Shultz, Jen & Kristie Eggleston, Garry Searle, Bette & Steve Merson, John Ibbotson, Lin & Jan Richards, Rob Deylen, Marguerite & Nick Stephen, and later Max Huxley (Doug and Jack were not keen to venture out in the changeable weather conditions, it seems). There were others enjoying the fresh air. We swapped lighthouse stories and information, discussed ways and means to save threatened lights, had a few laughs and generally took pleasure in the company of each other and our interest. 

The Cape Schanck lighthouse was built in 1859, with two keepers' cottages. Another cottage was built in 1939 for a second assistant keeper. The head keeper's cottage is used as a museum, containing an excellent display of early lighthouse equipment, photos, prints, diagrams, explanatory notes and charts, and a modicum of period furniture. Don't forget to sign the visitors' book when you're there.

The two assistant keepers' cottages provide accommodation for up to nine people in each, and there is a smaller cottage, originally built for the Lighthouse Service Inspector, which is suitable for a couple. You need to bring your own food (there are no shops nearby). The expansive grassy grounds of the lightstation are relatively flat and well maintained. There is an observation deck on the cliff top directly in front of the tower, overlooking the ruggedly beautiful shore, offering views each way along the coast and out to the shipping lane. Good walking tracks take you around through the bush and down to Bushranger Bay.

The limestone tower has a stone stairway with the steps covered in lead sheeting to prevent the countless souls from wearing down the stone. Most of the Australian lighthouses have iron steps, cast or wrought and bolted together. The Schanck is an operational light, so public access is not permitted to the actual lantern room that houses the first order catadioptric lens. The area below the lantern room is panelled in varnished timber, the brass vents and fittings are highly polished and enamelled, and the glossy white paintwork is shipshape and Bristol fashion. Prue Sheer gave us a detailed commentary of the history and operation of the light and we stepped outside onto the landing to take in the fresh sea air. Very bracing.

After our tour and a visit to the museum, we returned to the shed for a cuppa before packing up to leave. As we started to make our way across the open ground to the car park a couple of hundred metres away, a vicious squall whipped up the cliff from the sea, blasted past the lighthouse and lashed us with a blast of gale force wind, chillingly cold horizontal rain and stinging hail. Our hats were blown away and we were soaked to the skin in seconds. Breathlessly taking cover in the lee of one of the cottages, we waited for several minutes before we could re-emerge. By the time we reached the carpark, the sun had come out and everything was sane again. 

Driving away from the Cape, still wet and a little stunned, we were satisfied to have experienced authentic lighthouse weather - it just makes you feel very alive.

Notes: 

Visiting hours at Cape Schanck are 10 - 5 daily or all day for overnight guests. Tours of the tower occur every half hour between 10am and 4pm

It costs $4 to park during the summer, and for entrance to the light station and museum, it is a further $6 for adults and $4 for children. If you wish to take a tour of the tower, the costs increase $10 and $8, or $28 for a family. Children under five are not permitted in the tower.

Accommodation rates and availability - call 0500 527 891.

Additional information - call the light station on (03) 5988 6184 or http://www.austpacinns.com.au

Editor's comment:

We recommend that our readers gather a few friends or family and visit your nearest lighthouse. Talk to the caretakers, take photos, notes and drink it all in. Write to us and tell us all about it. If you find a lighthouse that is looking run down and neglected, make some enquiries, make a fuss, make a difference. Let us know about that too.

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