No 14 Cape Banks - Sept 2012 SA near Carpenter Rocks

A part of the history around Port MacDonnell relates to Ben Germein's role in saving passengers and crew from the Admella.  I will go into this further in a minute. 

Some facts:

• built in 1883
• Original height was 7.5 metres high
• Made of local limestone
• The lantern was taken from the original Port MacDonnell lighthouse that was demolished in 1882

A little bit of trivia You may or may not know but the original lighthouses often had different coloured lights which could only be seen at certain distances. Red, green and white.  The closer you got to the Lilghthouse the different light could be seen alerting the captain to their nearness to land.

In May 1928, Cape Banks was raised to 15 metres. With this upgrade the light was demanned and the keeper's cottages have since been demolished. Until 1976 the light was run on a Dalen Acetylene Gas system which mixed the gas with air and also rotated a lens. It was then converted to electric in using the lens from St Francis Island.

Sorrow and death is so often associated with Lighthouses and our harsh australian coastline.  At this spot one of Australia's worst maritime disasters occurred where 89 people including 14 small children lost their lives.  The SS Admella had been recently built, bragging it's sohisticated 3 chamber steel hull making it almost unsinkable.  One passenger was so confident of it's safety he tore up his will before setting sail from Adelaide to Melbourne. 

Unfortunately it only took 15 minutes after the Admella hit a reef off Carenter Rocks for the steamer to break into 3, exactly where the 3 sections had been joined.  The passengers and crew didn't all drown initially, many died over a period of eight gruelling days whilst people watched on the shore, helpless to assist. In 1859 things were very different. Ben Germein payed a significant role in saving many of the 24 survivors.  When many others gave up, he continued until he was able to get a lifeboat out to the broken steamer to rescue those still allive.  Many had died or gone insane due to having only saltwater to drink. One comment from a rescuer was "...more like statues than human beings; their eyes fixed, their lips black, for want of water, and their limbs bleached white and swollen through exposure to the relentless surf..."
This is an interesting link with more detail Learn more about the Admella story.  The Corio was one of the ships who came to the rescue but was unable to get close enough to assist due to the horrendous conditions.  Amazingly enough the Corio sank in exactly the same spot in the 1950's.

Trvia for my grand-daughter Isha Isha loves horses so this little bit of trivia is for her.  Where so many perished, one passenger survived against all odds.  Hurtle Fisher was transporting 4 racehorses.  Both he and his champion racehorse 'The Barber' survived.  This horse made it to shore and became an Australian legend even though he never won another race.

What can go wrong but it's an adventure.....Dan keep smiling...we will get through this....

Not all our trips go to plan and this day we got a little bogged in Beachport Conservation Park.  Our second sand bog since we have started my Lighthouse quest. Once again I was all ready to provide suggestions of how we could get out of the situation...always looks so easy on TV shows.  Eventually rang the RAA who were unforgiving of us not being prepared.  When you are in a situation like this you aways call the Publican.  A quick call to the Beachport Pub to see if a local farmer wanted to earn some money and assist us and immediately the Publican's son was out to help.  Such a lovely thought and he appeared to know what he was doing with his 4wd ute.  30 minutes later who was in more trouble than us!  

Next call was to the SES who were located in Victoria doing some training ops which turned out to be us!! 4 men and one tough lady along with 2 mega tough long based Nissan Troupe and 20 minutes later they had our rescuer out and another 15 minutes later we were out...No charge and they seemed happy to be called out to do real rescuing rather than pretending to rescue people.  Anyway we really appreciated the fact that our trip to the Beachport Conservation Park had ended 200 metres into the real sand and two hours later we were nursing our pride.  That night we went to the Beachport Pub for tea and bought up in appreciation of the local lad trying to assist us.

We learnt a few things on this day.  Make sure your vehicle is suitable for real 4wd.  Our vehicle had a very low under carriage clearance and if we were serious about 4wdriving we need to upgrade our car.

Still it was an adventure and we learn more about working together under pressure the more we move out of our safe little suburban life and out in to our amazing country.  Australia is a pretty amazing place with so much to see in our backyard.

Griffiths Island Lighthouse, Port Fairy Victoria - August 2013

Since 1859, the Griffiths Island Lighthouse has faithfully guided ships into the security of historic Port Fairy located on the Moyne River.  Originally the lighthouse location was Rabbit Island but the lighthouse has never been moved but Islands joined.

What a statement to be made about a building made of blue-stone 11 metres high.  Has 'faithfully guided' would be something you might like on your tombstone not something you expect to be said of a lighthouse.  In saying that you do need to consider the life of a lighthouse keeper and their families.  The last lighthouse keeper manned this lighthouse for 25 years until 1959.  Quarter of a century ensuring the wick was lit and the prisms were in order.  Today the lighthouse is automated with solar energy, wind power and battery bank.  During that time Port Fairy was known to have one of the largest fishing fleets in Australia.  This sleepy little town was once the hub of the fishing industry and was primarily a whaling community, these days the fleets focus on crayfish, shark and abalone.

What are the characteristics of a lighthouse keeper? A 25 year dedication to the role and so much more...
Hugh Haldane was the last lighthouse keeper and although this dedication is something admiral, Hugh is known for something much greater.  Hugh and his two brothers decided to build a boat.  Not just any boat but a boat that changed the tuna industry in Australia for ever.  

The best way to learn about these three amazing brothers is through a a link at the bottom of this page. The Haldane brothers made a boat in Port Fairy over a period of 7 years from Australian hardwoods such as blue gum from the nearby

Otways.  They named this boat the Tacoma and in 1951 this boat made Australian history.  The boat was based on the plans from a ship building company owned by Harvey Pettridge in USA.  These 3 country lads had seen a photo of a deep sea boat made by Western Building company and had saved up $500 pound and sent it to Harvey Pettridge asking if they could buy a copy of the boats plans.  Western Building company replied that they didn't sell their plans to anyone but would send a copy to the brothers for luck.  Seven years later the Haldane brothers introduced the Tacoma to the Australian boating world and this boat is still a functioning fishing boat in Port Lincoln today.

The Haldane brother's had a son each and these boys manage the Tacoma and maintain the history that their fathers built.  It is the thing I love about my quest to photograph every Australian lighthouse.  Each lighthouse is unique and they generally have a bit of folk lore attached.

This lighthouse really appealed to me. At times when we make the trek to photograph a lighthouse I must admit, we can be a little disappointed.  Man has the capacity to make somethings just ugly and lacking character.  But there was no disappointment today when we took the 4 klm hike around the perimeter of Griffiths Island, saw the surfers out on the reef being pulled up onto the waves by jet skis, the island full of wildlife and steeped in history and this small but beautiful light.

The photograph to the right shows the Lighthouse keepers cottage which was demolished in the 1956 due to vandalism.

Ref: Three Men and a Boat - Landline - ABC

Lighthouse No 13 Haunted by a ghost - Cape Northumberland, Port MacDonnell SA

OK! a BIG "NO ENTRY AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY" sign met us at the base of the driveway of the Cape Northumberland Lighthouse.  Dan, who once was a rebellious young man gave me that look of 'no you don't' and I had that look of 'yes we will' so up the driveway we went, past the gate to the cottages that sat below this red and white lighthouse begging to be photographed.

After a few attempts to stir someone from the first cottage I was prepared to just sneek up to the lighthouse and take my infamous shot of Dan peering into the camera lens as I lay in the doorway of the lighthouse.  But at that precise moment around the corner came a true Aussie icon who for the purpose of this story I will call 'Bob'.  Bob had the standard beer gut, a pair of stubbies and a holdne singlet on.  He would have looked at home with a stubby in his hand.

Bob's dad had bought this land 20 years ago, over 20 acres and which the Lighthouse was on.  As a conseqence of this the lighthouse was landlocked and registered under the National Trust.  He owned all the land except for the piece of soild beneath the lighthouse itself.  As such the government had clearly stated that unauthorised persons were not allowed on the commonwealth land.

He was a real character and had discussions with Mike Rann and the then treasurer Micheal Atkinson about his rights to bury his dad on the land.  As 'Bob' said, 'dad had no idea when he bought the and he was buying his own personal graveyard'  He invited Rann to his Dad's funeral of which he refused and under the law of our land he buried his Dad on the property he had bought.

He yarned for a while about the local area and changes he had seen and then he turned a blind eye whilst we cambered up to the Cape Northumberland lighthouse to meet our 13th house on our quest.

The lighthouse is supposed to be haunted by a woman in 1950s clothing and this has been witnessed both by more than one individuals at a time as described in the following newspaper article..

"The second incident (the first was at another lightstation) was a more communal experience. The man living next door to Mr Jordan at Cape Northumberland saw the saw the ghost in his house on the same night about a year ago.

'I was just lying in bed when this woman appeared at the end of the bed. She was looking at my wife and smiling. Oh, I smiled back at her and all that', says Mr Jordan. 'The clothes she was wearing were a bit out of date, but not really old-fashioned. She was playing with ends of a scarf she had on her head. I've no idea who she was either. All of a sudden she just vanished, like the one at Jaffa, right in front of me. 'I didn't tell anyone about it, but the next morning the chap from next door came up and told me he had seen exactly the same thing, which was strange'!" ('Keeper of the Night Light', The Advertiser, 8 February 1978)

 

Port MacDonnell, SA - Lighthouse 12 Sep 2012

Hitching up Ethel, our latest Jayco Expanda we left Adelaide and drove straight to Port MacDonnell where our first lighthouse was to be found.  Port MacDonnell is 394 kilometres from Adelaide and is 27 klms south of Mt Gambier.   We had decided to take the next 9 days meandering home learning about 8 SA lighthouses. 

What we noticed first of all was how beautiful the shore line from Port MacDonnell was.  Similar to the Great Ocean Road with the harshness of the ocean, the wind and rocks jutting out making this part of the coast very unforgiving.

It was obvious that any ship without navigation and travelling at night would be subject to this very treacherous section of SA coast.  There are two lighthouses in Port MacDonnell that we were to visit. 

Firstly we walked down to the Point and saw the foundations of the original MacDonnell lighthouse that was built in 1858.  It was very evident that the wind and ocean had eroded much of the cliffs away and back then the light only survived 23 years due to the danger of its collapse from the cliff on which it stood.  It was during this time that Ben Germein was appointed Lighthouse keeper.  So key points about this Lighthouse and it's keeper.

• Ben Germein was allowed to chose and name a Port in the area.  He chose Port MacDonnell and named it after the Governor of that time.
• Port MacDonnell was the largest Southeast Port and serviced Mount Gambier
• Ben lost three fingers when a brig 'John Omerod' capsized
• Ben was the driving force in saving the 25 people who survived the Admella wreck (but that is another story I will address later)
• Ben became melancholy and disorientated in his later years and spent many days disappearing in his boat
• In July 1893 he left his home and disappeared.  His decomposed body was found on the 28 August the same year.

This is all that is left of the original lighthouse.  The lighthouse and Lighthouse keepers cottage consisting of three rooms were removed and a new lighthouse located on the hill that was call The Cape Northumberland Lighthouse......so off we went to Lighthouse no 2.

Light House No 11 - Sep 2011 Cape Donington Port Lincoln

After spending an amazing time at Nyroca Scout Camp we moved on to Port Lincoln to firstly meet our Host Malcom Schluter for coffee and then onto the Lincoln National Park to photograph our 11th lighthouse.

The National Parks in SA are really well set up.  We had spent the day at Coffin Bay National Park just 2 days prior.  Here we experienced our first bogged in sand adventure.  Well it was fun until we had tried the digging down and adding bracken under the wheels, then onto sticks, then onto logs, all to no avail.

Eventually a man in a Toyota came around the bend, nearly collected us but realising we were bogged and in a Hyundai started to show how how real men are prepared.  % minutes later and we were free.  We spent the rest of the day nursing our 4wd ego and Dan fished while I lay in the sun and relax

Well back to Port Lincoln.  The Cape Donington Lighthouse is a 32 metres high hexagonal grey concrete tower built in 1905. The cape was named after Donington, Lincolnshire, England, the birthplace of Matthew Flinders.  If I was scoring on this one I gave it a 3/10.
Being a newer lighthouse it lacked the mystery and history of days gone by and tragedy that so often is linked to these towers.  However the area is steeped in history.

Matthew Flinders was the first European to arrive in the region, whilst circumnavigating the Australian continent on HMS Investigator in 1802. He climbed Stamford Hill where he surveyed the Lower Eyre Peninsula. Eight crew members of the Investigator, including two officers, were the first Europeans to drown in the dangerous waters at the southern end of Jusseau Peninsula, whilst in search of fresh water. Numerous names in the area are associated with this event, including Cape Catastrophe, numerous islands named after the deceased and Memory Cove, where a tablet was erected by Flinders in their memory.

So once again the tragic stories associated with these waters forge the building of these formidable towers.



See the lighthouse and view from the link below.
http://www.360cities.net/image/cape-donington-lighthouse-lincoln-np-south-australia#-160.39,18.83,70.0  

Lighthouse No 10 - Whyalla SA - Point Lowly

This was a day trip from Whyalla to visit our 11th Lighthouse. The Point Lowly Lighthouse stands out on a point jutting into the northern end of the Spencer Gulf.

It sits just below an isolated valley with the most amazing beach and about 5 beach houses.  Australia has some really beautiful beaches that have not been destroyed by commercialisation.  Remote and yet close to towns and sleepy little hamlets where you can rent a shack and get away from city living.  Fitzgerald Bay is one of those places. Accessed via a 20 klm dirt road when you arrive, you just want to be part of a place where time stands still. 

The lighthouse and two lighthouse keepers' cottages are the oldest buildings in the Whyalla area. Completed in 1883, the lighthouse eased the way for maritime traffic around Point Lowly. The original 15 metres tall tower was extended by eight metres in 1909. Manned for 90 years, the Point Lowly beacon became automated and was eventually delisted from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority register. Since 1995, the lighthouse has been owned by the City of Whyalla, while the cottages are available for holiday accommodation through the Whyalla Uniting Church.

So many lighthouses re linked to tragedy. This lighthouse is not isolated from sorrow and death.  As at Corny Point, men who gave up a normal job to make safe the passage for ships, saw tragedy in their own family.

On Tuesday 4th October, 1989 this article was printed in the local newspaper The Barrier Miner the following article was written....With reference to the drowning case at Point Lowly Lighthouse, it appears that Thomas Alfred Wells, aged 27, a son of the headkeeper, and a lad named Charles Duthie were out in a boat in the Rip. The boat capsized and both occupants were drowned The accident was witnessed by the fathers of both the young men. Duthie, senior, put out in a dingy to try to save them, but was met by Wells' floating corpse. Young Duthie was never seen after the boat capsized. A strong current was running, and as numerous sharks are known to be in the locality it is feared that the body will not be found. Wells was a brother of Mr. R. H. Wells fitter at the Proprietary works at Port Pirie, and Duthie a son of the second keeper of the Point Lowly Lighthouse

 

 



This is my standard shot I hope to take of most lighthouses.  Dan in the corner with his cheeky face.  I love this man.

.

Port Lincoln SA - A new experience...27 Sept 2011

Moving on from Whyalla I googled unusual accomodation for caravans Port Lincoln.  I love google while we are travelling.  Nothing is ever far away.  The search came up with 4 hits.  Two were farms with spots for 1-2 caravans, one was a National Park and the last was Nyroca Scout Camp where they had 2 spots for caravans and was in close proximity to Coffin Bay Conservation Park. 

A quick call to Nyroca and spoke to the caretaker Malcolm Schluter who advised he was closed as he was heading to Adelaide for personal reasons.   After a brief discussion I hung up from the call and advised Danny we were heading for Nyroca.  The Nyroca Scout Camp is a 21 hectare natural bush setting situated adjacent the Flinders Highway, in the shadow of the Marble Ranges, 56 kms west of Port Lincoln. 

What shocked Dan was the fact I advised him we were caretakers for the next 5 days.  We would arrive to be greeted by Daisy the border collie who would eat us allive with love and kisses and we should make ourselves at home, feed the 50 + animals, collect the eggs, assist with the incubation of the chick eggs and enjoy the environment.

Who lets a total stranger do this after a 5 minute phone call?  Malcolm Schluter does! Ex West Coast Police Chief Inspector has been looking after Nyroca for a number of years.  He was leaving Nyroca the same time we were leaving Whyalla so our paths would not cross.  He would leave the place open and advise his good friend and neighbour who we will call 'Hoss' for now of our arrival.

So our visit to Lighthouse no 11 was going to be an adventure - we could both feel it....

Long time gone....

Wow, it was Sept 2011 that I last blogged in here....boy how time flies.  I have a bit of catching up to do which I will over the next 9 days.  We are on another roadie but let's do a catch up of what has been happening in the lives of Dan and Man.

Firstly I went through a pretty ugly workcover claim of which ended late in 2011.  From that I was detached from my employer of 20 + years.  After what seemed a lifetime of having one career direction, opportunities arose that I had not anticipated.

Firstly I was provided with opportunities of employment that I had not considered before.  I worked for an amazing organisation MIFSA reviewing and developing new policies and procedures.  MIFSA provide a safe and encouraging place for people suffering from any form of mental illness.  The day was filled with many visitors to the organisation who would come to learn to ccok, chill, play music or use the library.  Thursdays were music day and the whole office would be filled with the sounds of people strumming out music and singing, mainly songs from the 70's and 80's.  I loved it. What an inspirational place to work.

Whilst working there I was offered a position as a Practice Manager for a brand spanking new Dental surgery that was about to open 1 minute from where I live.  To top that, one of the owners is someone is who so special to me.  I jumped at the opportunity and Oct 2011 starting working at Beachside Dental Studio in Port Noarlunga. 

Now what does that have to do with caravaning and my lighthouse quest?  Some big changes in my life created opportunity for us to make some real differences in our lives.  We sold our home of 14 years that consisted of a very large garden and two storey home of many rooms to a 3 room apartment on the esplanade and upgraded Eddy the Hawk (our first camper trailer) to Ethel the Expanda.  We simplified our life completely....

 

From this beautiful home to espy Apartment lifestyle - what a change but one we are loving.

 

So back to our lighthouse quest.

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