In the 19th Century the community at Cape Otway Lightstation; were supplied every 6-12 months. These supplies included food staples such as rice, flour, sugar, vinegar, preserved meat, tea & alcohol, all of which had to be rationed.
Until the start of the 20th Century there was no suitable road into the Cape Otway area, so all their supplies had to be landed by ship 6 kilometres away. The community would have to collect their supplies by Bullock cart along a muddy track.
As a result the Cape Otway community would need to be as self – sufficient as possible. They had a vegetable garden, orchard, chickens, pigs, even a small dairy herd.
In the early 20th century supplies were brought by narrow gauge railway to Lavers Hill and then transported by bullock cart over 1-3 days to the Cape, supplies arrived every 3 months.
