An unexpected find during a routine maintenance check at Tasmania’s historic Cape Bruny lighthouse. Restoration artist Brian Burford found the message in a bottle dated from 122 years ago. He discovered it rolled up inside a wall cavity of the landmark building, which first opened in 1838. This surprise discovery has excited local historians and conservationists as well.
While working on rust and corrosion issues that the chandelier room, Burford discovered the bottle. It is in this room, at the top of the lighthouse, where they kept the glass lens and lighting mechanic. As he was doing his work inside the lantern room, all of a sudden he came right through into the void in the wall,” explained Annita Waghorn, historic heritage manager for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.
The bottle contained a letter. It was signed JR Meech, as a lighthouse inspector for the Hobart Marine Board. During his time in charge, he undertook the construction and maintenance of some of Tasmania’s most famous lighthouses. The TLS message, folded with great precision, produced paramount challenges for removal.
Cobus van Breda, senior paper conservator at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, assisted in carefully extracting the delicate aged paper from the bottle. He continued, “Although the bottle was sealed with a cork that was covered in bitumen, making it difficult to remove.
The process required rigorous, painstaking work. Van Breda described their meticulous process, saying, “We had to take the bitumen off the top of the cork and then slowly sort of peel it away to separate it from the glass because the cork had been dipped in bitumen.” After figuring out how to free the cork, the next challenge was to get at the message inside. It was a very clever fold. We needed it to be very tough but not too tough – tough enough to get it through the bottle’s narrow neck without breaking the capsule,” he continued.
It then took days for Junior Conservators at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery to successfully crack JR Meech’s code. Waghorn said she was thrilled with the find. She continued, “It was so much fun! Initially, the message was such an enigma, especially since where it ended up was in this really hidden spot deep inside the tower.
This amazing discovery forms a new chapter to the fascinating history of the Cape Bruny lighthouse. After its original construction in 1838, enhancements including a staircase, floor, lantern room, and lens were added nearly 70 years later, making it a heritage-listed site that continues to intrigue visitors and historians.