Cape St George Lighthouse..

Under this simple heading coastal shipping movements were reported in newspapers right around the country.  Lighthouse keeper and other ship master observations concerning ship movements along the coast appeared daily in newspapers. Information could travel faster than a ship and these entries were sometimes the only means waiting relatives, ship owners and merchants had of knowing where the vessels were. Cape St George Lighthouse keepers played an important part in keeping the information flowing about passing vessels of all kinds. The keepers were expected to keep a constant watch and if need be communicate by flag signals to these vessels.  Hours of observation, and in the case of Cape St George standing exposed to the elements in all sorts of weather.  These obsevations were then passed onto Sydney via telegraph and then they would be reported in the local papers.

Examples of the sometimes simple entries that helped keep people informed of ship movements.

Sydney Morning Herald 1872. Sydney Morning Herald 1873. Sydney Mail 1873. Sydney Morning Herald 1873. Sydney Morning Herald 1874. Maitland Mercury 1875. Sydney Morning Herald 1875.

This following article from the Sydney Morning Herald in 1899 is very interesting, it shows how the information from the lighthouse keepers was regarded with the utmost importance and any break down in the chain of information was of grave concern..

The article below shows how the break down of communication  between the coasting vessel Torridon, and the Jervis Bay light keepers was taken seriously and in this case led to an investigation by the Marine Board.

Shipping being the fastest and most efficient method of moving people and cargo over long distances, meant information about new light houses or other maritime infrastructurer as advertised below in the Sydney paper Empire in 1860 was of great importance to the general public, maritime authorities, mariners and ship owners. For us, the newspaper entry provides  fascinating information about the workings of such an important if not ill conceived and controversial piece of local maritime history,  which was the Cape St George Lighthouse.

Remains of the Lighthouse as seen in 1979.