![]() ![]() This led to insanity and inevitably the loss of their job.įind out more about the life of the keepers in the stories attached to this page. ![]() Mercury poisoning was a hazard in earlier centuries. However, the life of the keeper took its toll on some. Together the families worked, played, taught their kids, grew their own food and even made their own homebrew.įor outside contact they waited for the mail plane or monthly steamer to arrive, and reveled in the unique life they had. But lighthouses often stood on barren ledge far out to sea, and life could get lonely for the keeper and his family. Rottnest Island Authority Smoky Cape Lighthouse, completed in 1891, was designed by colonial architect James Barnet. They moved from lighthouse to lighthouse around the coast. Bathurst Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage on Rottnest Island in Western Australia. While the image of the lonesome keeper, trudging the stairs up the light tower all through the long wind-swept nights is partially true, many keepers had families who lived with them. ![]() Slowly the era of lighthouse keepers faded away. The last lighthouse to operate manually was remote and windswept Maatsuyker Island, the country's southern most light in Tasmania, which lost its keeper in 1995. Historically, lighthouse keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning lenses and windows. With the advent of satellite navigation and automation of many functions, lighthouses were deactivated in 1983 and no more keepers were employed. ![]()
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