Maatsuyker Island was named by Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1642 who was the first known European to reach Van Diemen’s land (which he also named in honor of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies) and the lighthouse that stands on it is Australia’s southernmost lighthouse and surely one of the most remote and challenging lighthouses anywhere in the world. Located on a small, windswept island off the southwest coast of Tasmania, this lighthouse has guided vessels through the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean for over a century.

The island lies approximately 10 kilometres southwest of South East Cape, Australia’s southernmost point, and is separated from the mainland by the dangerous Maatsuyker Channel. At just 2.7 kilometres long and 1.5 kilometres wide, the island presents a formidable environment with towering cliffs rising over 100 metres above sea level and exposure to the full fury of the Southern Ocean’s storms.

The need for a lighthouse on Maatsuyker Island became apparent as maritime traffic increased through the southern approaches to Tasmania in the late 19th century. The treacherous waters around the island had claimed numerous vessels, making it a priority location for the Tasmanian Marine Board.

Planning for the lighthouse began in the 1880s, following several notable shipwrecks in the vicinity. The most notorious of these was the sinking of the barque “Harriet Radcliffe” in 1883, which struck hidden reefs near the island during a winter storm. All hands were lost, though island folklore claims that occasionally, the plaintive cries of drowning sailors can still be heard when southwesterly gales whip around the lighthouse keeper’s quarters.

After extensive surveys and deliberation, the Tasmanian government approved construction in 1889. The project faced immediate challenges due to the island’s isolation and hostile environment, with initial site inspections describing conditions as “exceptionally severe” even by Tasmanian standards.

Construction commenced in 1890 under the supervision of the Marine Board’s architect Robert Huckson, who designed several other Tasmanian lighthouses including Eddystone Point, Low Head, Mersey Bluff, Table Cape, and Cape Sorell.

The contract for building the lightstation was given to Messrs J and RE Duff of Hobart on 1 January 1890. The contract period was 18 months; to erect the lighthouse including within it the Chance Brothers light apparatus, four lightkeeper cottages and all the supporting infrastructure. Messrs Duff fulfilled their contract in remarkable time. Despite having to change the construction of the lighthouse to brick after finding that the rock on the island was completely unsuitable, having to clear the land, cut flat areas for all four lightkeeper cottages into the rocky island flanks, and then transport 100,000 bricks and all other building, living and construction supplies to the island by boat and up its cliff by horse powered whim, the official opening of the lightstation was exactly 17 months later on 1 June 1891.

This date marked the beginning of what would become one of Australia’s most challenging lighthouse postings. The original light mechanism, standing 15 metres tall from base to lantern room and crafted in England by Chance Brothers, was a marvel of Victorian engineering. Its first-order dioptric lens assembly weighed several tons and had to be disassembled into hundreds of carefully catalogued pieces for the perilous journey to the island. The reassembly was overseen by master craftsman James Laidlaw, who reportedly went temporarily blind from the strain of the delicate work. According to island lore, Laidlaw’s dedication was so complete that upon his death in 1923, his ghost returned to the lighthouse, where keepers occasionally reported seeing a figure meticulously polishing the brass fittings in the lantern room at dawn.

The first head keeper, Thomas McKenzie, arrived with two assistant keepers and their families in December 1890. McKenzie’s detailed logbooks provide fascinating insights into life on this remote station, recording not only navigational information but also weather observations, wildlife sightings, and the daily struggles of maintaining the lighthouse in extreme conditions.

Life on Maatsuyker presented challenges few mainland Australians could comprehend. The island receives some of the wildest weather in the Southern Hemisphere, with recorded wind gusts exceeding 176 kilometres per hour and annual rainfall often surpassing 1.5 metres. In 1899, keeper William Baudinet (who had transferred from Cape Bruny after the tragic deaths of his children) wrote in the station log about a storm so fierce that “the lighthouse tower itself seemed to sway like a reed, and the sea spray reached the lantern room windows despite our great height above the water.” During this same storm, the original keeper’s residence was partially unroofed, forcing the three families stationed on the island to crowd into the remaining intact sections for nearly a month until repairs could be made.

The lighthouse logbooks record numerous instances of extreme weather causing significant damage to the station. In 1923, a particularly severe storm destroyed the original signal house and damaged the lantern room, requiring extensive repairs that took months to complete due to the difficulty of transporting materials to the island. The dome of the lantern room is severely pocked with dents from hail as big as golf balls, attesting to the ferocity of some storms.

Living conditions on Maatsuyker Island were harsh even by lighthouse standards. The island’s exposure to Southern Ocean storms meant that supply ships could only approach during brief periods of calm weather, sometimes leaving the lighthouse families isolated for months at a time. The keepers maintained vegetable gardens in sheltered areas behind the cottages, though these were frequently damaged or destroyed by storms. Livestock including sheep, cattle, and poultry were kept on the island, providing fresh meat and dairy products, though animals regularly fell victim to the island’s treacherous terrain and severe weather. Water supply was a constant concern, with rainwater collected from the cottage roofs and stored in large tanks. During rare dry periods, water had to be rationed strictly among the three families stationed on the island.

Temperature variations were also extreme, with the island experiencing frost and snow in winter despite its maritime location. The combination of high winds and low temperatures created wind-chill conditions that made outdoor work dangerous during winter months.

Like most lighthouses, Maatsuyker has a history of hardship, tragedy, mystery, and the paranormal.

Perhaps the most chilling episode in Maatsuyker’s history occurred in the winter of 1908 when assistant keeper Thomas Grady and his young family disappeared without trace. Grady had set out in the station’s boat to check lobster pots near a small cove on the island’s western side—a routine task he had performed dozens of times. When he failed to return by nightfall, the head keeper organized a search, but no sign of Grady, his boat, or his family was ever found. Most assumed they had been swept away by a rogue wave, but peculiarities in the case led to darker speculations. The head keeper reported that in the days before the disappearance, Grady had become increasingly agitated, claiming to have seen lights moving beneath the water near the island and hearing voices calling his name from empty rooms in the keeper’s quarters.

The light itself claimed a life in 1927 when keeper Stephen McDougall was fatally injured while performing maintenance on the rotating mechanism. According to his widow’s account, McDougall’s last words were a request that the light not be extinguished during his passing, as a ship had been sighted on the horizon. True to his wishes, the light continued its steady rotation as McDougall drew his final breath. For decades afterward, keepers reported that the massive clockwork mechanism would occasionally stop precisely at 9:17 pm, the recorded time of McDougall’s death, despite being in perfect working order.

In 1976, tragedy struck again when supply helicopter “Southern Comfort” crashed into the sea just off the island during a routine delivery, claiming the lives of the pilot and a relief keeper. The wreckage was never recovered, though pieces of the distinctive yellow helicopter washed ashore on the island for years afterward. More disturbing were reports from keeper Michael Sheehan that for weeks following the accident, he would hear the sound of helicopter rotors during the night, though no aircraft was present.

The isolation of Maatsuyker fostered a unique way of life for the lighthouse families. Children born on the island sometimes didn’t see the mainland until they were school-aged. Keepers and their families became expert gardeners, cultivating vegetables in the harsh conditions and raising sheep for wool and meat. They developed ingenious methods for collecting and storing rainwater and became skilled at improvising repairs when supply boats were delayed by the notoriously unpredictable weather. The families developed their own traditions and entertainments—including the midwinter “Maatsuyker Madness” festival where keepers and their families would dress in elaborate costumes crafted from whatever materials were at hand and perform theatrical shows for each other.

Early communication with the mainland was by carrier pigeons which would take about three hours to reach Hobart, but such was the attrition rate that in an emergency three birds would be sent with the same message in the hope that at least one would survive the journey. In 1932 a radio transmitter was installed, though it proved unreliable in storms—precisely when communication was most critical. In what became known as the “Christmas Silence,” the island’s radio failed during a violent December storm in 1943, cutting off all contact with the mainland for 23 days. When contact was finally reestablished, the keepers learned they had been presumed lost, with memorial services already conducted for the three families stationed there.

Over the decades, Maatsuyker Island lighthouse underwent numerous technological upgrades. The original oil-powered light was converted to acetylene gas in 1912, improving both brightness and reliability. This was followed by conversion to electric power in 1936 when a diesel generator was installed on the island.

Weather monitoring equipment was installed in 1925, with the lighthouse keepers recording daily meteorological observations that contributed to Australia’s weather forecasting services. The island’s position made it an ideal location for monitoring Southern Ocean weather systems approaching the Australian continent.

The decision to automate Maatsuyker Island lighthouse was made in 1996 as part of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s nationwide lighthouse automation program. The lighthouse was automated in 1996, ending over a century of continuous human presence. The final entry in the keeper’s log, written by last keeper John Cook (who had also turned off the light at Cape Bruny), simply stated: “The light goes on, but we must go.” The final keeper, Robert Harrison, departed the island on 15th March 1996, ending 105 years of continuous human habitation.

However, the island was not abandoned entirely. The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service established a volunteer caretaker program, allowing carefully selected individuals to live on the island for six-month shifts, tending to the historic buildings and monitoring the wildlife.

These volunteers have added their own chapters to Maatsuyker’s strange history. In 2002, caretakers Roger and Lisa Harwood documented what they described as “impossible footprints” appearing overnight on the paths between buildings during a period when they were the only people on the island. In 2011, another volunteer team captured audio recordings of what sounded like children laughing near the assistant keeper’s abandoned cottage, a structure that had been uninhabited for fifteen years.

Since automation, the lighthouse has operated with remarkable reliability, with the solar and wind power systems proving highly effective in the island’s harsh environment. Regular maintenance visits are now conducted by helicopter, weather permitting, typically three to four times per year.

Maatsuyker Island lighthouse was added to the Tasmanian Heritage Register in 1999, recognising its historical significance as Australia’s southernmost lighthouse and its role in Tasmanian maritime history. The lighthouse and associated buildings are also listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List.

The original Fresnel lens is preserved at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston, while the lighthouse cottages remain in good condition despite their abandonment, testament to the quality of their original construction.

Today, Maatsuyker Island lighthouse continues to serve as a vital navigation aid for vessels transiting between Australia and Antarctica, as well as commercial shipping using the Great Circle route across the Southern Ocean. The light operates with a character of flashing white every 7.5 seconds, visible for 18 nautical miles.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority maintains the lighthouse under a lease arrangement with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. Access to the island remains restricted, with helicopter transport required for all visits due to the dangerous seas that surround the island year-round.

Modern GPS navigation has reduced reliance on traditional lighthouses, but Maatsuyker Island lighthouse remains an important backup navigation system and continues to serve vessels that may experience equipment failures in these remote waters.

Technical Specifications:

First Exhibited: 1891
Architect: Robert Huckson
Status: Active
Location: 43°39’S, 146°17’E
Original Optic: 1st Order Fresnel Lens
Current Optic: LED Array
Automated: March 1996
Construction: Local stone and double brick tower with rendered finish
Height: 15 metres
Elevation: 140 metres above sea level
Range: Nominal: 26 NM
Character: Fl. W. 7.5s except ever 4th flash omitted
Light Source: LED
Power Source: Solar/Wind Hybrid System
Operator: Australian Maritime Safety Authority