Cape St George Lighthouse.

Woe Disaster and Misery. 


The tales of Woe and disaster that befell the people who worked at the light and their families and the controversy surrounding the Lighthouses construction is compelling reading.

The Museum has a collection of paintings, photographs and relics from the lighthouse, so if you would like to find out more about this amazing piece of local maritime history the museum is a good place to start.

The people who lived at Cape St George Lighthouse were eerily prone to tragic events.
In 1867 Isabella Jane Lee, the daughter of the principal lightkeeper from 1863-1873, died of typhus fever. In 1882, another resident, 13 year old George Gibson, died from pleurisy. Typhoid struck again in 1885 killing Florence Bailey, the 11 year old daughter of the third assistant lightkeeper. Her father, Edward Bailey, supplemented his income by fishing for sharks on the rocks below the lighthouse. In 1895, he was washed from the rocks. Entangled in his lines in heavy seas, he drowned and was taken by sharks as his son watched in horror.

Francis Henry Hammer, the son of Mary Hammer (a single woman who lived at the lighthouse) had a habit of pushing large rocks over the cliff edge to amuse himself. He either toppled over or lost his footing when part of the cliff collapsed. He was only nine or ten years old.

William Markham, the assistant lightkeeper from about 1878-1883, was kicked in the head by a horse and died before he reached Nowra Hospital.

One of the most disturbing tragedies involved two teenage girls. In 1887, Kate Gibson (the principal lightkeeper's daughter), tripped while skylarking with a loaded firearm. The gun discharged, striking her friend Harriet Parker (the assistant lightkeeper's daughter) in the back of the skull, killing her instantly. Her gravesite can be found in the Green Patch camping area.

REF: Department of Environment. Read more. 

Here are a couple of excerpts from old newspapers from the time, there are many more articles full of intrigue and disaster if you take the time to look.

Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954) Saturday 18 March 1899
The new lighthouse at Jervis Bay is nearing completion, and will be opened on May 1.
It has cost $18,000, and will be fitted with a white flashlight that can be seen a distance of 20 or 30 miles.

Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers (Melbourne, Vic. : 1867 - 1875)

This building is situated about thirty miles from the town of Nowra, in New South Wales, on the south side of Jervis Bay, and is in the direct route of vessels proceeding from Sydney to Melbourne. The light shown is a bright revolving white and. green. The road winds along the edges of swamps and over rocky hills, and at the time our illustration was made was not marked out, and our artist and his companions wore, in con sequence, obliged to put up their tent and pass the night in the bush, having been un able to find the way before it became dark. As it was a moonlight night two of the party searched around the camp, and followed a path which they discovered. This led them, after a walk of four, miles, to the lighthouse. Coming back, with their clothes, and boots wet and muddy from' the. small streams of water they had crossed, they made a fire and cooked their supper.
A bed of rushes served to sleep upon, and the wild howling of the native dogs did.not long keep them awake. Next morning, at' sunrise, ' they breakfasted and started for the light house, but the horse stopped at the first high sand-hill and part of the luggage had to be left in the road. With some difficulty the spring cart was drawn to the coast, and the superintendent kindly sent his own horse for the articles left behind. The,1, tent was pitched near the stable of the establishment, and during the next fortnight a series of drawings were made of the 'wild and beautiful coast scenery, including the lighthouse. Although the headland is a' great' height.

From the sea, in a storm the foam dashed right over it ; and once, when a south-wind came on, the party had to rise from their beds in the midst of a pouring 'rain and secure the fastenings of the tent to prevent its being blown over the cliff. The want of a verandah to the superintendent's quarters is much felt in wet weather, as there is no shelter either from the rain or foam when he has to be on the look-out for vessels. Neither is there a spare room for ship wrecked persons or strangers, as there should be at such an isolated station. At a mile distant a schoolhouse has been erected for the children of the fishermen, who live a few miles off, and of the officials stationed at the lighthouse.

The entrance to Jervis Bay is two miles wide, and inside there is a harbor from three to four leagues in length, and two in width. It is considered a safe port for ships, of all sizes, and is SO miles from Sydney. The harbor is large and commodious, easy of access, and will afford shelter from all winds, having room for 200 sail of ships, with plenty of wood and water. The bay was discovered by Lieutenant Bowen in August, 1791.

Hoping to visit the picturesque village at a future time, the party left the coast when they had completed their sketch, and with the aid of a lent horse reached Nowra, much pleased with the kind attention they had received from, the superintendent while visiting the lighthouse.




A small fragment of dinner plate found at the site showing beautiful detail in the pattern even after all these year. 


    

The remains as you will find it today, a far cry from the original condition.

Although the Lighthouse was deemed a navigational hazard and was destroyed by the Navy between 1917-1922, the remains are still a testament to the skill of the original builders and defiantly worth taking the time to visit and marvel at the location and what it must have taken to build the original lighthouse back in 1860.

Ref:
http://trove.nla.gov.au
http://www.environment.gov.au
http://www.lighthouse.net.au

Huskisson of old

Those were the days!
Huskisson has a fascinating history, another image in the museums collection.

Huntsman Spider

Shedding an old skin. I found this fellow/lady? hanging off the side of my computer today. Woollamia is bug central and everything that crawls, slithers, flies and bites lives in Woollamia. I have seen plenty of the empty spider exoskeletons in my sheds over the years, but this was the first time I have seen one in the transition stage. Unfortunately I missed the part where it came out of it’s old skin, but found it hanging below it’s skin as illustrated in the first photo. The rest of the transition took about 15 minutes and was fascinating to watch, with my new friend finally scampering off around the back of the computer, hopefully to chase some of the other bugs in my workshop. No doubt it will make me jump out of my skin sometime in the future when our paths cross again. Hope you find this fascinating, because I did!!

Read More.

I threw this small video together of the spider releasing it’s used exoskeleton

Surveying equipment

Precision instruments from the past.
Following on from a past post here is another beautifully detailed and preserved piece of history.
This and many more amazing instruments are on display at the museum.
To see more details scroll down the page to the previous post.

Slow Decay

All along the boardwalk.
If you investigate low tide amongst the mangroves you will come across the remains of a small timber boat.
It’s slowly decaying with the ebb and flow of the tides and exposure to the marine environment.
At the moment it’s a good home for small fish on high tide and crabs on low tide.
In a short time it will disappear altogether.

Huskisson 1937

Hail Storm.
What an amazing image of Huskisson in 1937 after a hailstorm.
These children must have loved playing in the ice.
I'm sure the Jervis Bay Hotel as it was known back then must have been a popular place with the locals.
 
Just one of many images in the Museums collection.


Huskisson: Named after William Huskisson -  Read more

Ringing the Bell

Yesterday John “IT” Hill recorded the sound of the Sobraon bell to be played back at the launch of a 560 page illustrated book about the vessel. Written by Geoff Stephenson “Commanders of Sail – the story of James and Alexander Elmslie and ships Cospatrick and Sobraon” is to be launched in Melbourne next month.





 
The clipper „Sobraon“ at sea. 2131 Tons. Built at Aberdeen. 1866. Later a boy's training ship.

Read More  - 1 – 2
There are some remarkable images here from an era long since past.

Dunbar Relics

Door hinges and nails.
A few more relics from the Dunbar that I found around 1975.
All the door parts in this photo and the previous photos came from the same small area of the wreck site.


 

Read More – of this tragic Story. The Melancholy wreck of the Dunbar. James Johnson lone survivor of the wreck. Dunbar Bell Video

Flight of the Ibis

Morning paddlers.
This morning during my regular walk along the mangrove boardwalk
looking for photo opportunities and enjoying the serenity it was high tide so the feathered waders weren’t about, but I came across a friendly trio of paddle boarders who were enjoying  themselves drifting slowly between the mangroves.
It’s really is another world underneath the low mangrove canopy.
Two of the paddlers were visiting the area from Canberra and said how much they were enjoying their time on the coast.


White Ibis
As I was finishing my walk a loud call came from a huge dead tree way above the mangrove canopy.
I managed to shoot a couple of pictures of another local mangrove visitor before it flew away.
The White Ibis, common all along the coast is often see wading in the shallows around the river edges.

The Lady Denman plays host to a Wedding

Yesterday afternoon due to the wet Weather The Lady Denman Ferry was used  as a Host for a Wedding.

She was decked out with all the Necessities to make that perfect Wedding.

The Bride and Groom exchanged their Vows on the entrance/stage.

Friends and Families enjoyed the special event.

Just goes to show that The Lady Denman is more than just a Museum.

Alf Settree boat shed.

Last wooden boat builder



The boat shed overlooks the fish pond at the Museum,  built by Alf Settree, Huskissons last traditionally trained wood framed boat builder. Port Hole, one of the Settree built trawlers can be seen in the forground.

The Settree family built 45 ships in various locations around the coast.

One such ship was the ill fated SS Douglas Mawson - 'A Launching and a Shipwreck.' This article by Dr Michael MacLellan Tracey, makes compelling reading and give’s you an insight into the difficult work involved in wooden framed ship building.

Alf’s involvement with the Lady Denman Ferry.
In his retirement, Alf had been able to devote considerable time and effort to the Lady Denman project. He had been a key person in the challenging operations that had allowed the vessel to travel from Sydney to Huskisson by sea and from Currambene Creek to its penultimate resting place.
Care of. Graham Hinton, Curator of the Lady Denman.

Below are some examples of boats built by the Settree Family.

Ulladulla Star. Built 1954.	Port Hole. On display at the Museum Built 1952	TSS Douglas  Mawson Built 1914 Story.	Trawler. Built 1966.

Boat Building Display
The Museum has a unique collection of tools and photographs about the Settree family.
Be sure to take the time to drop in and have a look at the display.

Jervis Bay sunrise.

Another beautiful start to the day today, the air was clear and crisp and surprisingly cold for an early summer morning.

Jervis Bay by Louis Auguste de Sainson

Before Cameras
Many of the early explorers carried their own artists to record the many new sites and people they came across on their travels.
One of those was the French artist Louis Auguste de Sainson.
He has many many paintings and drawings and was aboard the Astrolabe when it arrived in Jervis bay in 1826.
Here is one of many paintings he did that depicts the area called Hole in the Wall.
Erosion has now collapsed the roof of the arch.

You can see many fine paintings of the region within the Museum and a superbly detailed model of the Astrolabe.

Read More  - and see more paintings of the region from this period.