Boy, your going to carry that weight on the Cumbraes.

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight

Carry that weight a long time

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight

Carry that weight a long time

The Beatles

We made our way carefully down steep stairs from the lighthouse, passing...

 ...this old water standpipe. It must have been a welcome sight to the generations of thirsty keepers who toiled away, carrying heavy supplies on their backs, up the stairs from the jetty and the storerooms.

The others  got ahead as I struggled with the rough going underfoot. Even though I was not carrying anything, my "good" knee dislocated without warning and I fell heavily to the ground.

The guys helped me into the kayak... after the pain, it felt really good to glide away without weight on my knees. On the skyline you can see the crane that lifted oil and other really heavy supplies from the jetty up the steep cliff to the lighthouse. It must have been hard work.

Just north of the lighthouse jetty lies Port Nabbin. This provided an alternative landing spot for delivering supplies to the lighthouse. A track was blasted out of the rock to the sea and another railway built. This one bypassed the western cliffs and led a longer but direct route up to the north end of the lighthouse complex. Another windlass was used to haul the trucks up the long gradient.

It was a heavy job keeping the light burning.