Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker is

For many decades the only way to provision the lighthouse keepers was via a landing and small crane in Alones Gulch and a haulage way up the steep hill to the access track. Initially a horse was used on a circular platform with capstan and block underneath until one day the brake failed and the horse went to pieces.... At the top of the haulage way there is a shed housing the quite old (forground) and less old winches, but out-side nothing remains of the original horse drawn platform and harness system. Carts were linked via a cable and the winch which meant they could be counterweighted somewhat so that one cart decended on one track while the other ascended on the other. The tracks were made of timber and much iss still present; only the lower 20 meters having been lost in a storm.
Some older pics can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/acochair/MaatsuykerGallery#

Comments [0] | | More

Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

The lighthouse lense rotation mechanism that was still operational. It is run by a chain weight system via gears and a spinning disc which lifts with speed (supports blurrred in pic) until it comes up to oiled stops which limit and regulate the speed. At some stage during the lighthouse history the mechanism was bypassed for an electric motor probably because the keepers became weary of pulling up the chain wieght every1.5 hours. The lighthouse light has been replaced by a small automatic (solar powered) light a bit further up the hill.

Comments [0] | | More

Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

This shot shows a view over the shed and water tanks to South West Cape

Comments [0] | | More

Will
November 29,2008, Maatsuyker Is

We were lucky enough to experience some real weather with a day of 50 knots and gusts to 67 knots. This is a view of Alones Gulch on the leeward side with a fishing boat anchored to the right. The opening of crayfish season seemed to bring out the testosterone in the fishermen as there were about 8 boats in the area. The gulch is home to a seal colony but numbers were down on previous years. We kept our distance, knowing how easy they are to panic having seen a video of the arrival of several dinghy loads of the Friends Of Maatsuyker Island people climbing up the track. Some leopard seals are often found on a small beach to the right but none were at home while we were there.

Comments [0] | | More

Will
November 29,2008, Maatsuyker Is

At the end of each day, with a cosy brew,we watched the ever changing sunset over the Needles.

Comments [0] | | More