Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

Tree ferns are common on the island. The only noticable non - native beasties on the island are the weeds we have been eliminating, bumble bees, and blackbirds. It seems to still be a quite pristine place despite long human interferance.

Comments [0] | | More

Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

De Witt Island viewed from a tree above the leeches near the summit of Maatsuyker at 280m

Comments [0] | | More

Will
November 30,2008, Maatsuyker Is

Tad and Suzie were the lighthouse caretakers while we were there and were a third of the way through their 4 month stint. Tad loved the routine of mowing and trimming the extensive lawns along the access track to the haulageway and around the houses.

Comments [0] | | More

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 The lighthouse light has been replaced by a small automatic (solar powered) light a bit further up the hill.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