An invasion of the bogong moths was under way this time in 1990 reported The Canberra Times.
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The lights on Capital Hill were all but extinguished, leaving federal politicians floundering in near darkness.
Bogong moths make heroic springtime pilgrimages from north and north-western NSW to the Brindabellas and the Snowy Mountains. Like all moths, they are drawn to light.
When they are blown slightly off course by westerly winds, the biggest light on their pilgrimage trail was the astounding amount of wattage shining from Parliament House.
They probably imagined they had reached their goal when they discovered the granite canyons that distinguished Parliament House.
Thousands of moths had settled in bunched layers on windowsills. More had found their way into the halls of Parliament House.
They startled parliamentary staff, fluttered into the hair of politicians and dived-bombed innocent public servants.
Battalions of vacuum cleaners couldn't deal with the millions of moths expected to descend on Parliament House during the following weeks.
The action speaker of the House of Representatives, Ron Edwards, declared that more drastic measures would be employed. The idea was to trick the bogongs by camouflaging Parliament House in near darkness by switching off its lights.
