‘He was so excited': painter discovers 122-year-old message in a bottle inside lighthouse walls
Specialist painter Brian Burford was performing routine maintenance on the seaside structure when the discovery took place, according to Annita Waghorn, historic heritage manager for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.
'While he was working inside the lantern room – which is the room at the top of the lighthouse where the lens and lightening mechanism is – dealing with some rust and corrosion, he popped through into the wall cavity,' Waghorn said.
It was then that something in the cavity caught Burford's eye, 'glinting' in the light.
'He was so excited that he gave me a call and said that he found a message in a bottle,' Waghorn said.
It turned out that the letter was not just a simple note, but an envelope containing two hand-written pages detailing upgrades made to the lighthouse in 1903.
A staircase, floor, lantern room and lens were added to the heritage-listed lighthouse nearly 70 years after the original structure was built in 1838.
The note was signed by lighthouse inspector for the Hobart Marine Board, JR Meech, who supervised the construction and maintenance of several well-known lighthouses around Tasmania including Cape Sorell, Maatsuyker Island, Tasman Island, Table Cape, and Mersey Bluff.
'It was incredibly exciting … it was such a mystery when it first came to what the message was about and how it had come to be in this inaccessible location within the tower,' Waghorn said.
But it wasn't an easy feat. Initially reluctant to open the bottle, Waghorn enlisted help from conservators at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery who carefully extracted the delicate aged paper.
'The bottle was sealed with a cork coated in bitumen, which made removal challenging,' Cobus van Breda, the museum's senior paper conservator, told the ABC.
'We had to remove the bitumen from the top of the cork, then carefully work our way around the cork to detach it from the glass as the cork had been dipped in bitumen.'
'The next challenge was to get the message out of the bottle. It had been folded in a way that made it quite challenging to get it through the narrow neck of the bottle without damaging it.'
It took several days to decipher Meech's message, the team said.
Museum staff plan to put the letter on display for public viewing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Sticky prune, pear and ginger cakes with ginger caramel
A variation of my mum's beloved sticky date pudding, these little cakes are all warming spice and soft, cooked fruit. As they're made with wholemeal flour, sticky prunes and pear, I like to kid myself that these are, in fact, healthy muffins. But then I drown them in ginger caramel and a puddle of cream, and that illusion is shattered! On a cold evening these really are heavenly, and I wouldn't even blame you if the leftovers masqueraded as breakfast the next day. The prunes are lovely in this – I actually prefer them to dates. If you're not convinced, just think of them as dried plums. I have often gifted a box of these, along with an accompanying jar of caramel sauce, and they are always well received. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Makes 6 100g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease185 ml full cream (whole) milk 125g caster sugar 120g pitted prunes, halved1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla bean paste 2 small pears, ripe but firm150g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust tins3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp fine sea salt Ginger caramel sauce100g unsalted butter, cubed165g light brown sugar 200ml single cream, plus extra to serve (optional)1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/2 tsp flaky sea salt Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced and grease a large muffin tin (with six 180ml capacity holes) well with softened butter. Line the bases of the holes with circles of baking paper, then dust with a little wholemeal flour, tapping out any excess. Put the butter, milk, sugar, prunes and fresh ginger in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the bicarb soda and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and vanilla. Peel and quarter the pears, removing the cores. Cut the quarters into 1–2cm pieces and set aside. Place the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cooled prune mixture, along with the pear pieces, stirring gently until just combined. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and risen, and just a few damp crumbs cling to a skewer when tested. Allow the cakes to cool a little in their tins while you make the ginger caramel sauce. Add the butter, sugar, cream and ginger to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat down and let the caramel bubble for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, and watching carefully that the caramel doesn't bubble over. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaky sea salt. Carefully turn the warm cakes out of their tins, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary. Serve the cakes warm, topped with warm ginger caramel sauce and a puddle of pure (single) cream, if you like. I like to use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cakes to allow the caramel sauce to really soak in. Any leftover cakes and caramel sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days – just heat gently before serving. This is an edited extract from Handfuls of Sunshine, written and photographed by Tilly Pamment (Murdoch Books: $39.99, out now)
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fears grow for missing light plane pilot and his partner - as heartbreaking third passenger is revealed
The couple at the centre of a multiple-state search for a missing light plane have been identified. Gregory Vaughan, 72, and Kim Worner, 66, of Deloraine in central Tasmania were named as the couple on board the plane that disappeared on Saturday. They were identified on Tuesday with the permission of their family, with Tasmania Police providing a picture of the pair and the missing plane. It is a distinctive green two-seater Bristell S-LSA, which police say was purchased recently. No distress call was made from the plane, which also had the couple's dog Molly on board, during a flight across Bass Strait. The light aircraft took off from George Town airport in Tasmania's north about 12.45pm on Saturday and was headed to Hillston Airport in central western NSW, via Leongatha in Victoria's southeast. Family members raised the alarm about 5pm on Saturday when it failed to arrive. 'The two people on the plane have not been in contact with anyone, or aviation authorities, since they left George Town,' Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark said. An extensive search operation continues, with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority co-ordinating efforts in northern Tasmania, Bass Strait and southern Victoria. A helicopter crew conducted sweeps of Tasmania's northern coastline between George Town and Turners Beach on Tuesday but the plane was not sighted. Inclement weather and low cloud hampered search efforts, with boats unable to get out on the water due to the rough conditions. Searching is expected to continue on Wednesday. 'Significant resources have been utilised in the search and Pol Air will continue to be used over the next two days, at which time the search efforts will be re-assessed based on any possible new information that becomes available,' Inspector Clark said. 'The longer Gregory and Kim are missing the greater the concerns are for their welfare.' Anyone with information, who saw a plane matching the description or noticed anything such as unusual debris on land or in the water was encouraged to contact Tasmania Police.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Grave' fears for missing couple and dog after no contact from plane flying from Tasmania to NSW
Tasmanian police hold 'grave concerns' for a couple in a light plane missing three days after taking off from the state's north. Gregory Vaughan, 72, and his partner, Kim Worner, 66, were flying with their pet dog in the twin-seater plane that departed George Town airport on Saturday. Family members raised the alarm about 5pm on Saturday when the Bristell S-LSA, painted in a distinctive green, failed to arrive at its destination. The aircraft took off about 12.45pm and was headed to Hillston Airport in central western New South Wales, via Leongatha in Victoria's south east. What happened to the plane remains unknown. No distress signal or contact was received, police said. 'The two people on the plane have not been in contact with anyone, or aviation authorities, since they left George Town,' Insp Nick Clark said. Challenging weather had hampered search efforts that had continued on Tuesday. A helicopter was patrolling the northern coastline between George Town and Turners Beach. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Clark said due to rough conditions, boats were unable to begin searching on Tuesday. Since Saturday, extensive search efforts have involved a Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) search airplane and Tasmania police helicopter resources and marine vessels. The search has focused along Tasmania's northern coastline and Bass Strait. Tasmania police northern commander Marco Ghedini said: 'As we enter the fourth day of searching, police hold grave concerns for the missing couple, however we maintain hope as the operation continues.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Further assessment in relation to the ongoing search will be made in the coming days,' he said. The Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, also expressed concern for Vaughan and Worner. 'I understand that there are grave fears for the missing couple and their dog,' he said. 'We hope and pray for the most positive outcome possible. Our thoughts are with them, their family, friends and loved ones.' A spokesperson for AMSA said it had handed search coordination for the missing aircraft to police on Monday night. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) are deferring enquiries to the police while the search continues. According to ATSB data, in 2024 there were 20 fatal aviation accidents that caused 27 deaths.
