A specialist painter has uncovered a sealed glass bottle containing a message hidden within a wall cavity of the historic Cape Bruny lighthouse in Tasmania for more than 120 years. Brian Burford was performing routine maintenance when he spotted the bottle glinting inside the lantern room cavity.
The bottle was sealed with a cork coated in bitumen, making removal challenging. Conservators at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery carefully extracted the delicate aged paper, which took several days to decipher.
The letter was an envelope containing two hand-written pages detailing upgrades made to the lighthouse in 1903, including a new staircase, floor, lantern room and lens. It was signed by JR Meech, the lighthouse inspector for the Hobart Marine Board.
Annita Waghorn, historic heritage manager for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, described the find as incredibly exciting. Museum staff plan to put the letter on public display.
