A truly historic discovery has been made at the Cape Bruny Lighthouse on Bruny Island, providing a tangible link directly to the region’s rich maritime past.

During routine conservation work, a 122-year-old message in a bottle was unearthed, having been hidden within a wall cavity of the lighthouse’s historic lantern room.

The find came to light when a specialist painter, who was treating a section of the lighthouse, noticed something unusual lodged in the wall while chipping away at rust. Upon closer inspection, he uncovered a sealed glass bottle containing a message. Recognising its potential historical significance, the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) promptly collaborated with conservators from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) to ensure the careful recovery and preservation of this invaluable artifact.

“The bottle was sealed with a cork coated in bitumen, which made removal challenging,” said TMAG’s Senior Conservator of paper, Cobus Van Breda.

“The next challenge was to get the message out of the bottle. It had been folded in way that made it quite challenging to get it through the narrow neck of the bottle without damaging it.”

Inside the carefully opened bottle was an envelope containing a letter dated 29 January 1903.

The author of this historical dispatch was J.R. Meech, Inspector of Lighthouses for the Hobart Marine Board. Meech was responsible for supervising the construction, upgrading, and maintenance of major Tasmanian lights, including Cape Bruny, Cape Sorell, Maatsuyker Island, Tasman Island, Table Cape and Mersey Bluff.

In the letter, Meech details upgrades made to Cape Bruny Lighthouse in 1903, including the installation of a new staircase, floor, lantern room and lens.

He notes the cost of the works, outlines the new flash sequence of the light, and lists the names of those who contributed to the project, effectively preserving a moment in time.

PWS Manager for Historic Heritage Annita Waghorn said the message was in remarkably good condition despite its age as it was sealed up safe from the elements.

“You could feel the excitement in the room when the letter came out in one piece,” Waghorn said.

Cape Bruny Lighthouse, first illuminated in 1838, stands as one of Australia’s oldest lighthouses.

This extraordinary find not only deepens its already significant legacy but also continues to illuminate the compelling stories of Tasmania’s maritime past.

TMAG plans to undertake further conservation work on the letter, and there are plans for this historic message to be displayed to the public in the future, though the specific location for this display is yet to be determined.

Images courtesy of TMAG, PWS and Brian Burford.

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