CAPE WILLOUGHBY LIGHTHOUSE: on South Australia's Kangaroo Island

At the end of a scrub-lined dirt road stands the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, the first lighthouse built on land in South Australia.

This is the eastern most tip of Kangaroo Island . . . and as you venture out here . . . the isolation and beauty of this part of the Dudley Peninsula are as striking now as they were when the first keepers and their families came more than a hundred and fifty years ago.

For those staying in the Lighthouse Keepers' Cottages now . . . the views conjure up images of holidays in the Mediterranean . . . but for those who first lived here the constant watch over Backstair's Passage was vital.

As the lighthouse keepers scanned the divide between Cape Willoughby and the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula all eyes would have been on what's called The Scraper, a long stretch of shallows in the middle of a treacherous waterway, which has claimed one notable victim.

But the main one was the Kona . . . a four-masted American timber ship that was wrecked in 1917 . . . trying to sail across the scraper out here . . . The average dept out here when it's shallow would be two metres.

Work started on the lighthouse back in 1849 with granite taken from nearby. There was never any shortage of stone to choose from.

"The local granite was plentiful . . . as long as they could cut it. And to do that they would get a star chisel and a hammer and they'd hammer away until they had a hole in it, then put a wooden plug in the hole and then keep that wet and over time that wood would absorb the moisture, expand and just split the rock."

"Amazing, no wonder it took three years to build it."

The Seymour, Thomas and Cawthorne Cottages are named after the first keepers with each catering for a lighthouse keeper and his family. But these cottages . . . which are now available to us all as self catering accommodation . . . were later additions to the Cape Willoughby settlement. The first cottages were built closer to the coast.

For years three keepers made the lonely trek to the light, each relieving the other at the completion of an eight hour shift.

But despite the isolation there were compensations, like the views over the granite studded point of the Cape, across the mists to the mainland, and the sweeping vistas to the south coast beyond.

But it seems the keepers stuck to their guns when it came to the need to relocate their cottages to their present somewhat windier location.

"Some of the keepers didn't appreciate the walk . . . they said it was too far from the gully up to the lighthouse."

"And I suppose . . . on a windy night perhaps if you had a late shift."

"No, it certainly wouldn't be nice with a gale and pouring with rain and walking up there, taking over a shift say at midnight . . . not very pleasant at all."

Recent events off Cape Jervis (a dead whale being eaten by White Pointer Sharks) have reminded all South Australians of the other dangers of Backstairs Passage. And the kids from the lighthouse who ventured out on fishing trips would also have known that these waters can provide some rather interesting fishing . . . here three white pointers caught not far from the Cape Willoughby Light.

But the real dangers for the keepers were much more insidious. Loneliness could drive a man mad, but so too could the very work itself, not that they ever knew.

At Kingscote the original light takes pride of place at the Hope Cottage Museum.

"They would float these works on a big bath of unsealed mercury . . . just using that as a bearing. But unknown to the danger those days … they would be breathing the fumes in they'd be handling it and absorb it through the skin. And some certainly were affected by this mercury poisoning."

"So it wasn't just the isolation sending them crazy?"

"No it certainly wasn't . . . even though the thought was it was the isolation doing it . . . it certainly was the mercury more than anything."

Now the mercury bath and revolving light have gone and so have the keepers, replaced by automation. But the isolation and beauty of this rugged outpost remain at Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. The cottages provide simple yet comfortable accommodation at a very affordable price. You can book on 8559 7235 or email us at info@postcards.sa.com.au and we will forward your mail to the booking office.