Tim the Yowie Man: Booderee’s rich heritage

In an attempt to curb the mounting number of shipwrecks along the south coast, in 1860 a lighthouse was built at Cape St George, on the southern side of Jervis Bay. At the time there was much controversy over the location of the lighthouse, with many believing it should have been built on the northern side of the bay.

These concerns were realised when once built, farcically, the light couldn't be seen by ships heading south and was barely visible to those heading north. To further confound the bungle, to reduce costs, the builder decided to construct the lighthouse closer to the quarry he was mining the stone from than where originally agreed. In fact, when completed, authorities found the lighthouse to be two and a half miles north of the intended site.

Not surprisingly, with many ships unable to see the light, from 1864 and 1893 there were 23 shipwrecks in the vicinity.

Eventually authorities saw sense (or should that be 'the light'!) and in 1889 the Cape St George light was replaced by a new one at Point Perpendicular on the northern side of Jervis Bay

However the saga of the troubled Cape St George lighthouse was not over. Even unlit it continued to cause navigational problems especially on moonlit nights when the golden sandstone tower apparently glowed in the dark confusing passing ships. To fix the problem, it was decided to reduce the lighthouse to rubble and between 1917 and 1922, the Royal Australian Navy unceremoniously used the lighthouse as target practice.

The staff who lived at Cape St George were seemingly as cursed as the light itself. In 1895 Edward Bailey, an assistant lightkeeper who supplemented his income by fishing for sharks was washed from the rocks during heavy seas. Entangled in his lines, he drowned and was mauled by sharks as his young son watched in horror.

Then there's the case of William Markham, the assistant lightkeeper from 1878 – 1883, who was kicked in the head by a horse and died before he reached Nowra Hospital.

However, a sign at the ruined lighthouse tells the story of arguably the saddest tragedy to unfold at the doomed outpost. "In 1887, the principal lightkeeper's daughter tripped while skylarking with a loaded firearm. The gun discharged, striking her friend Harriet Parker in the back of the skull, killing her instantly."

Harriet Parker's gravesite can be found in the now popular Green Patch campground some 10 kilometres from where she died.

Today, you can visit the desolate ruins of the lighthouse. If you go, just be sure to stay well clear of the precipice where Francis Hammer, a ten year old boy who lived at the lighthouse in the late 1800s toppled over while playing, plummeting to his death on the rocks below.

Hidden away in the centre of Booderee is Australia's only Aboriginal-owned and managed botanic gardens.

Development of the gardens began in the early 1950s, with the area selected to be a frost-free annex of our very own Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.

In 2000, the annex became independent of the ANBG, but they maintain close ties and today the 80 hectare gardens focuses on the Aboriginal use of plants. Tucked away in the middle of the site is a large freshwater lake that is home to numerous long-neck turtles and a good spot to spy on migratory birds.

Don't underestimate how long you will want to stay here. With 3.7 km of walking tracks, knock-out picnic shelters, barbecues and lots of green grass for the kids to roll on, you could easily enjoy the tranquillity of this man-made haven all day.

Free admission with park entry.

Have you ever struggled to find a car park at the beach on a hot day?

There's no chance of that happening at Murray's Beach, at the eastern end of Booderee, which boasts what has to be the biggest car park of any beach on the south coast.

Its gargantuan size isn't due to rangers overestimating the number of sun-loving beachgoers. In fact it wasn't always intended to be a car park — it was originally excavated in 1969 to accommodate a 500 megawatt nuclear power plant. Really!

Thankfully, lobbying by a citizens action group undermined the rationale for the nuclear power station and the project was twice deferred and finally discarded in 1973.

The car park isn't the only legacy of the abandoned project. Feasibility studies for the project included seismic testing for bedrock stability which left a line of 11 circular holes in the seagrass beds just west of the beach. These holes, best viewed from the air, denote the sites of the explosions. Sadly, they also demonstrate how slowly seagrasses recolonise.

Booderee National Park: Located in Jervis Bay Territory, a 2.5 hour drive from Canberra. Two-day passes for $11 per vehicle. The Booderee Visitor Centre, located just past the entry gates. More: Ph: 02 4443 0977 or www.parksaustralia.gov.au/booderee/

Don't miss: School Holiday Campfire Yarns. Sit around a warm campfire with your Galamban indigenous hosts and be treated to stories about "the beginnings of the south coast world". Be prepared to be entranced – it's unforgettable. When? 7pm January 21, 25 & 28. Free, after park entry. Bookings essential on (02) 4443 0977.

Did You Know? In the early 1900s, the Booderee Botanic Gardens site was actually part of a farm owned by Australian piano manufacturer Ocatvius Beale. Beale tried to use the farm, known as Bherwerre, to grow timber for piano frames.

Clue: Taken over 30 years ago, this prime site is now occupied by apartments at a holiday spot popular with Canberrans.

Degree of difficulty: Hard

Last week: Congratulations to John May of Lyneham, who was first to correctly identify last week's photo (inset) as the wreck of a barge on the Moruya River near Malabar Weir. Barges like this one were used to transport many thousands of tons of sand and granite from the town's riverside quarry. The granite was sent to Sydney and used in the projects including the Sydney Harbor Bridge and along the brake wall at Moruya River. Sand collected from the dredging of the river was taken to riverside park Moruya.

May beat a record number of correct entries (217) to the prize, including Fay Rowe of Lyons, Pat Seymour of Mossy Point and Michael Brice of Nicholls whose "grandfather worked at the quarry". Meanwhile, Phil Cleaver of Cook reports "the National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra also sourced granite from this quarry for their garden".

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday January 21, 2017 with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.