Innes National Park - Lighthouse No. 9

Cape Spencer Lighthouse

We visited this lighthouse on the same day as West Cape and although windy it was nowhere near the winds experienced at the other end of Innes National Park. Lighthouses can vary in age, look and materials and some stand out for all the worng reasons. Cape Spencer was one of these.

A concrete monstrosity with no architectural lines such as Cape Jervois. The fact of the matter is they have a purpose and Cape Spencer plays a significant role in ensuring ships are led in safely between Yorke Peninsula and Althorpe Island. Althorpe Island is one of our future destinations and hosts a Lighthouse and some cottages you can stay in. Once a cheap & unique holiday it is now a costly exercise only for those with a passion such as ours. Theonly way over to the Island is by chartering a boat and once on there, you are left to your own devices.

Some facts about Cape Spencer

1. New lighthouses don't have may stories to tell


2. Built in 1975


3. Prior to the exisiting Lighthouse a small beacon which resembled a metal box with a light on top.


4. Height: 3.4m


5. Elevation 78m
   
   

Innes National Park May 2011 - Lighthouse 8

West Cape and Cape spencer Lighthouses werethe focus of this trip along with taking time in Innes National Park to visit the pristine beaches and hopefully catch some fish.

What we weren't expecting was 150klm + winds that left us laughing, crying and crawling to reach one lighthouse. I felt as light as a feather and the wind made it impossible to do anything other than think of the next step. It made me realise how crazy human beings can be a times, Sir Edmund Hilary and many others suffered blizzards, freezing conditions and lack of oxygen to reach the top of Everest. I aligned ourselves with him as we staggered towards the stainless steel monstosity known as West Cape Lighthouse.

We had a lot of fun on this trip to Lighthouse no 8. You are never too old to be like little kids again and I am loving this journey.....

A few facts about West Cape -

1. Expect winds!



2. Built in 1980



3. Construction - Stainles Steel



4. Why stainless steel? The say to reduce environmental impact when costructing



5. Height -8.5 metres



6. Above sea level - 67.1 metres (it was a long wa to fall if the wind blew us over!)

A great day, one neither of us will forget....

Cape Jervis - South Australia Lighthouse # 7

This lighthouse is on the SA coast near to where you catch the ferry to Kangaroo Island. Making the most of our stay at our church camp at Carrickalinga we decided to tick this lighthouse off our list whilst we enjoy 'fellowship' with our brothers and sisters, hear some inspiring talks and reflect on how blessed our lives are.

There appears to be two types of lighthouse experiences, those steeped with history and those that are modern, concrete structures that appear cold and lifeless. Here at Cape Jervis there was the remnant of the original lighthouse standing as a backdrop against the architectural concrete monstrosity that provided me with some great photos.

One thing I love about my husband is his absolute commitment to me and my idiosyncracy's, whether it is my lighthouse quest or organising a dinner at the last minute for 10, he always shows great interest and enthusiasm. He will scour the beach for the perfect pebble or shell to have as a memory of that particular lighthouse. He just is the best thing that has happened to me when it comes to friend. I am still excited when I am with him, every holiday is in fact, an adventure. As corny as it sounds 'he completes me'.

Our closest local Lighthouse where? No way!

March 29th, 2011.

When I started this quest a good friend sent me a message asking if I had marked off the closest Ligthouse to where we live. Port Adelaide - no I hadn't been there officially since we started our quest! No much closer.....

Of course the internet soon confirmed there was a Lighthouse at Marino, only ten minutes away. Why didn't I know this? A couple days later we were walking along the esplanade at Seacliff and there it was on the skyline - the Marino Lighthouse. Why had we never noticed it before? Sort of reminded me of when you buy a new car and you believe you have never seen a car the same colour or model on the road before. Once you own it you realise every second person has bought the same car!

So camera in hand we took off down the road to Marino. Once on the coast we walked down to the beach and could NOT find the lighthouse anywhere. We asked some locals and they looked confused and stated there wasn't one. Were we on a wild goose chase?

Eventually I looked up the Lighthouse on my iPhone maps and a few minutes later we were walking through the Marino Conservation Park towards the closest Lighthouse to where we live.

FACT: The photograph of the sign, above, says it all.

NOTE: Don't assume a local suburban Lighthouse is going to be on the coast with a paved footpath - wear inappropriate shoes!!

Black And White Lighthouses

Queenscliff Lighthouses (Victoria) - March 20-21st, 2011

Dan, our grand-daughter Isha and myself took off for Queenscliff on a weekend late in March to capture photos and visit the 'Black' and the 'White' Lighthouses located at Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula.

I love each and every one of our grandchildren and we love to involve them in some of our holidays and they are all keen to be included in our lighthouse quest. So with our quest in mind the three of us drove to the Fort in Queenscliff to photograph both lighthouses.

Facts:

1) What do you do to tell the difference between two bluestone lighthouses in close proximity? Paint one white. The Black Lighthouse is the only 'black' lighthouse in the southern hemisphere.

2)These lighthouses guide ships through the Rip and into Port Phillip Bay.

Note: Need to consider obstacles such as:-

1) Lighthouse locations behind fort walls or barbwire fences!

2) Lighthouse location not accessibble to public due to tour guide sick for entire week. Even grovelling for a photograph from the locked door at the base of the lighthouse went on deaf ears.

3) Climbing up cliffs to access Lighthouse has element of risk.

A quick visit to the Queenscliff Maritime Museum netted me a laminated map of all the lighthouses in Australia so we are now official nerds with a tacky laminated map of Australia on the study wall with 6 markers on the map! 410 + to go :)

We had a great time, stayed at the Queenscliff Big 4, second timers here as the park has great facilities including a great indoor heated pool, spa and kids club. Isha took control of Dan's bike and made lots of friends.

Moonta Bay - South Australia February 25-27, 2011

We chose to stay at the Moonta Bay Caravan Park on our travels to visit the Corny Point Lighthouse. This park was situated right on the beach front and our site was within a stones throw of the beach, jetty and shark proof sea pool (or so they said however there appeared to be a few holes around the perimeter). Although the amenities were average, they were clean but the relaxed feel of the park compensated. Sitting under the awning in the evening watching the sun set over the ocean was just what the Doctor ordered!

Every morning the tide would be right out and the waters were filled with people crabbing with their rakes. The evenings had the jetty full of fishermen and women, novice and experienced, catching crabs, squid and fish.

Danny had raked for crabs at Port Clinton but gave the crab nets a go and came back to the van with 6 good sized crabs. Okay, this is where the Internet comes in handy. Google 'how to cook lives crabs' - check, then google 'how to shell cooked crabs to remove the guts and feathers' - check and then make a mean crab dip and enjoy.

Best part of the night was the cooking of the final two crabs to find only one left in the bucket. That nifty little crab had smelt his brothers cooking and had clambered out of the bucket and had high-tailed it back to the water. Always respect someone with initiative!

Lighthouse No. 2 - Corny Point, SA

25th March, 2011 - 16 metres tall, elevation from sea level 30m, flashes 4 every 20 seconds completed 1882. Corny Point Lighthouse - first Ligthhouse keeper J Dagwell. I wonder what would interest a person to become a lighthouse keeper, especially at a remote location like Corny Point. To be so isolated and to be so dedicated. One of the Assistant Lighthouse keepers died in 1899 swimming at the nearby beach. Corny Point Beach was beautiful. A little cove accessed by our new 4wd, we spent the afternoon swimming in possibly the same area the Lighthouse keeper had drowned. We walked the entire length of the cove, sat on some rocks and prayed together, totally at peace with ourselves and all that had been created in this little cove. To add to our quest - we decided to collect a small rock and one shell from each beach directly below the lighthouses we visit. Dan found an interesting bone from a fish that he decided to keep. Note: Buy toilet paper and sanitizer for these remote trips!

Lighthouses of Australia

Dan is an amazing husband and soon was caught up in my quest to conquer the lighthouses of Australia. This was a grand plan as I love the ocean, live near it and feel the most grounded when I am within eye or ear shot of the beach. So this quest would ensure we would travel to all parts of Australia making the most of the coast. We had Eddy the eagle (camper trailer) so we were ready to set sail, so to speak.

How many Lighthouses are there in Australia? There are are just over 400 lighthouses across Australia including some located on islands just off shore so our quest would include road, sea and air travel.

The Quest? Over the next 5 years we plan to visit every lighthouse in Australia, blog my way through the journey and experience Australia.....

The Blog: We have already visited 6 lighthouses to date so the next few entries will get this blog up to date..... wish us luck!

The Eye of the Needle

November 25th, 2010 Cape Otway Lighthouse...... Raining and not feeling like a walk through the treetops without wet weather gear we opted for the safer option of a lighthouse tour.

Initially I thought the cost was a little rich but it was not long before I reliased the fascination of lighthouses and the mystery and tragedy associated with their history was going to not only have an impact on me but us.

My first memories of a lighthouse related to cold foggy mornings in Baliluie Street, Point Lonsdale, waking up as a small child and hearing the fog horn sounding from the Point Lighthouse. Knowing the streets would be desserted and the air would hang heavy with fog. It was a mystical feeling that has remained with me since my childhood.

So we did the tour of the Lighthouse Keeper's cottage and the way the first telegraph wire to Tasmania was laid on the bottom of te sea from the heads of Cape Otway across the Bass Strait. Lastly we climbed the stairs of the Lighthouse until we reached the final section where the intricate pattern of the wrought iron steps caught my fascination. The tour guide showed us books on Lighthouses around the world and I snapped a few shots.

We finished off the morning with devonshire tea (coffee) and I grabbed a book from the Shop on the Loch Ard shipwreck 1878. The book was easy to read and Dan and I sat in a corner booth and over the next 90 minutes or so I read aloud to Dan and the story of an 18 year old Irish girl Eva Carmichael who was one of only two survivors of 54 passengars and crew. The other survivor, a young crewman Tom Pearce, also 18 having swam to shore returned to the treachorous waters to rescue the only other survivor of the Loch Ard.

I was surprised to see Danny's face as he urged me to continue reading, hoping 'boy meets girl' would end in love. Well that's another story well worth reading. I think it was at this point that I started a real quest to learn more about the history linked to our land through the Lighthouses of Australia.

Travelling home with Eddie .....

After a successful acquisition of Eddie we hooked the van up and started driving home along the Great Ocean Road. We headed home on Tuesday 23rd November, 2010 with Eddie trailling behind. We stopped at Rye river along the way and spent our first night with really heavy rain and I learnt very quickly that my elbow was a perfect way to source a very wet bed. The Caravan Park was basic in amenities but the wildlife was amazing and a short walk to the beach.

How it began.....

In late 2010 I started getting a little restless. We had visited the Caravan and camping show in the middle of the year which had become the catalyst for this next stage of our life. Having no understanding of 'grey nomads' and no desire to become one (I am way too young to become one!) I decided to grow my hair and along with Dan we started looking at options to travel. Dan has never had any real desire to travel overseas, don't understand it but one thing we both have in common is we love Australia. So late last year we bought a Jayco Eagle campervan on EBay and drove to Melbourne to pick it up. That was November 2010