Friday, August 14, 2009

Friday's History Lesson..a Brief One...



This, according to my Grandfather in our conversation last night, is where his Grandma was born and raised. It is the lighthouse at Portland here in Victoria, Australia. Otherwise known as The Cape Nelson Lighthouse.

My Grandad also said he has pictures, thanks to the museum up there in Portland, of his grandmother at age 4yrs. It is a picture taken out front of this lighthouse. There is also a picture of the whole damily that lived in that house, next to the lighthouse. Her father was known as Captain Eastland.

Next week I will be going up to my Pop's to scan the images and also receive information on our family history.
This lighthouse and the house next to it were moved along a few kilometres..Pop said they must have done it brick by brick because it is exactly as it is in the pictures he has.
I endeavour to find out more about this lighthouse and the dates and times that things occured...very exciting.

13 comments:

FoxyMoron said...

Wow Caz, what a great piece of family history. I have always been fascinated by lighthouses. Have you been to the one up near Byron?

Anonymous said...

Fancy moving a whole lighthouse. Now who was the cretin that put it in the wrong location in the first place.

Mal Kiely [Lancelots Pram] said...

Family history is fascinating and awesome - that's such a good story you have to pass-on-to your own children. enjoy following the trail.

Jayne said...

Love the post, Cazzie!

Cazzie!!! said...

Foxy, I endavour to do so in the next year or so.

Andrew, amazing huh. The lighthouse was relocated, stone by stone, to it's current position on North Bluff (now Whaler's Bluff) in 1889 to make way for gun emplacements on Battery Point.

Another reason given for the relocation was that it was less vulnerable to attack on Whaler's Bluff.
I am mot sure whose decision it was to build it in its first location..but I know that military.government made the decision to move :(

Mal, my sentiments exactly mate.

g-man said...

Is it named after Admiral Lord Nelson?

rosemary said...

That is awesome. you have started you children with appreciation of your homeland and family already...they will love knowing all of this one day in the not too far off future.

Ginnie said...

I can't wait to see the pictures of her as a child, Cazzie. They moved a lighthouse here in North Carolina and they actually rolled it very slowly on big logs.

AspergantuS said...

The top of a light house is a lovely place to lose oneself for a couple of hours...

Hey Cazzie... (wink)

butterflies said...

What a cool place to live!
Ive always loved lighthouses and a friend of mine has a collection of them from all over the world.

Its great to find out family history..

Cazzie!!! said...

Galen, Ihad to look it up mate, and I am pleased, because the more I look the more I learn :)
Theanswer is that it s named after a ship, not the person. Lady Nelson was the ship that navigated the Cape there where the lighthouse is now. Cape Otway. It was captained by Lieutenant James Grant. He wa a British Royal Navy Officer )

Rosemary, the more we look the more excited we all become :)

Ginnie, I am taking my scanner to my Pa's place this week, and so I will compile the history and place the images right here :)

Aspy, definately! Too right mate!

Butterflies, I so want to tour our fine country and visit everyone that I can. I have read that some of them are no longer admitting tours.

Cazzie!!! said...

Oh, and GINNIE, thanks or the story on the lighthouse over there and how it was moved :)

Middle Child said...

That is an amazing bit of history...and to have pictures of your grannie you haven't seen - how wonderful...thats a real treasure