Haunted Lights
The job of a lighthouse is to keep ships safe. But what are the dangers of working at the lighthouse itself? This episode takes a closer look at some of the ghostly stories around these mysterious and lonely structures.
Sources
General history of Australian lighthouses
- Lighthouses of Australia Inc. – “Lighthouses of Australia Inc aims to create a higher profile for Australian lighthouses within Australia and overseas and thereby preserve, protect and promote their place within our history.” https://lighthouses.org.au/
- Volunteering to be a caretaker at Tasmaaina lighthouses – https://parks.tas.gov.au/be-involved/volunteer (including Maatsuyker)
- Lightkeeper journals at the Australian National Maritime Museum – https://collections.sea.museum/objects/190448/lighthouse-keeper-journal-from-booby-island-and-goode-island?ctx=3a41c9b9-dd74-4ecd-8b26-4cf070eb3f11&idx=6
- Related blog by Myf Bryant about this journal: https://www.sea.museum/2016/07/08/the-life-of-a-lighthouse-keeper/
- Kate’s favourite Round the Twist episode – Grandad’s Gifts | Round the Twist – Season 2 Episode 8
Lighthouses of the episode - in order mentioned
Maatsuyker Lighthouse
- General information – https://lighthouses.org.au/tas/maatsuyker-island-lighthouse/
- 1933 newsreel footage including a rare mail delivery to Maatsuyker Island
Cape Otway Lighthouse
- History/overview – https://www.lightstation.com/explore-cape-otway/tales-of-the-cape/
- Malcolm Brack Oral history referenced in the episode – https://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2011/12/06/3384589.htm
- http://apollosview.com/cape-otway-lighthouse.html
Newspaper article quoted in episode describing the technical specs of the light – The Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade List (NSW : 1844 – 1860) Sat 28 Oct 1848 Page 257
Early article about the lighthouse with a wonderful illustration – Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1853 – 1872) Thu 29 Sep 1870 Page 11
,_Cape_Otway_Lighthouse_--_2019_--_1197.jpg)
Split Point Lighthouse – aka the lighthouse on ‘Round the Twist’
Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 – 1918; 1925) Thu 30 Dec 1909 Page 13 – Article featuring a photograph of Split Point in 1909; lower left panel; lighthouse in the distance
- Oral history of the lighthouse and explains how they delivered the goods via the sea every 6 months https://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2011/12/01/3380922.htm?site=local
- Visitor blog – includes pic of the spiral staircase from the inside – https://vintagevictoria.net.au/split-point-lighthouse-aireys-inlet/
South Solitary Island Lighthouse
- “Girl in the bathtub” headline/article that drew us to the story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/lydia-gow-buried-in-a-bathtub-and-covered-with-concrete/11395174
- Offical website of the lighthouse today: https://southsolitaryisland.com.au/a-tragic-death
Cape St George Lighthouse
- Blog of local museum – Jervis Bay – http://jervisbaymaritimemuseum.blogspot.com/2013/11/woe-disaster-and-misery.html
- History/overview – https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/cape-st-george-lighthouse/
- History/statement of significance – http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=105312
- Short history and images of the ruins – https://www.weekendnotes.com/cape-st-george-lighthouse/59577/
- General information and mention of the grave in the carpark – https://parksaustralia.gov.au/booderee/do/lighthouse/
- Articles from local papers
- The Maitland Weekly Mercury (NSW : 1894 – 1931) Sat 23 Nov 1895 Page 16 Devoured by a Shark. – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132401621
- The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 – 1893) Tue 26 Jul 1887 Page 5 The Accidental Shooting Case at Cape St. George. – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18895718
- Wagga Wagga Advertiser (NSW : 1875 – 1910) View title info Tue 19 Nov 1895 Page 2 Sad Fate of a Lighthouse Keeper. – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101809966
- The Yass Courier (NSW : 1857 – 1929) Tue 19 Nov 1895 Page 2 A SHOCKING OCCURRENCE. – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article263912508
Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse – Carnarvon Castle
- Brief overview – https://www.margaretriver.com/things-to-do/attractions/lighthouses/cape-naturaliste-lighthouse/
- Background History – https://lighthouses.org.au/wa/cape-naturaliste-lighthouse/
- The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954) Wed 27 Feb 1907 Page 7 THE CARNARVON CASTLE DISASTER. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25697209
- NZ newspaper report of Canarvon Castle disaster – https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PBH19070307.2.36
- Another newspaper article about the wreck – https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?53653 AND https://www.wrecksite.eu/docBrowser.aspx?2006?5?1
- Offical WA Maritime Archeology listing of the wreck –https://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/wrecks/id-715
- Local enduring oral history/reports of the ghosts – http://www.wanowandthen.com/Leeuwin-National-Park.html
- Landscope is the quarterly journal of Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions – 2005 edition feature article about the lighthouse – https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/static/Journals/080052/080052-21.019.pdf
- Mention of mercury bath in the structure – https://thewest.com.au/travel/wa/cape-naturaliste-lighthouse-saviour-of-the-ships-has-a-vivid-history-ng-b881089619z
Tevennec Lighthouse
- Two months in a haunted lighthouse coverage – https://www.marinareservation.com/articles/mr-marc-pointud-in-the-haunted-lighthouse-tevennec/
- https://www.marinareservation.com/articles/isolated-2-months-haunted-lighthouse/
- https://www.completefrance.com/living-in-france/sudden-deaths-and-sinister-spirits-at-tevennec-lighthouse-6293072
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/frances-legendary-haunted-lighthouse-has-first-resident-since-1910
- http://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2016/07/hgb-ep-135-tevennec-lighthouse.html
- Podcast – Astonishing Legends – https://www.astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2017/10/2/the-lighthouse-of-tvennec
- https://strangespookyweird.com/2015/10/is-this-frances-scariest-structure/
- Reprint of 1934 Irish article mentioning the notorious lighthouse – https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/alligator-arrested-by-policeman-and-death-in-haunted-lighthouse-1.762003
Mercury and mad lighthouse keepers
- General information – https://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/dark-side-lighthouses/
- Mercury bath mechanism and technology explained – https://uslhs.org/lens-rotation
- Assessment of mercury presence and exposure in a lighthouse with a mercury drive system – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3338435/