100-year-old message in a bottle found in Tasmania

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A painter discovered a 122-year-old message in a bottle after it was hidden in a wall cavity at one of Australia's oldest lighthouses in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) told Storyful the specialist painter who made the discovery was treating a section of the Cape Bruny Lighthouse when he stumbled upon the bottle in early April.

"While chipping away at the rust, he noticed something unusual lodged in the wall. Upon closer inspection, he uncovered a sealed glass bottle containing a message," TMAG said.

Footage shared with Storyful by the museum shows conservators working to carefully extract the letter on July 14.

Inside the bottle was an envelope containing a letter dated January 29, 1903.

The author, J.R. Meech, Inspector of Lighthouses for the Hobart Marine Board, supervised the construction, upgrading and maintenance of major Tasmanian lighthouses.

In the letter, Meech detailed upgrades made to Cape Bruny Lighthouse in 1903, including the installation of a new staircase, floor, lantern room, and lens.

He noted the cost of the works, outlines the new flash sequence of the light, and lists the names of those who contributed to the project, "effectively preserving a moment in time," the museum added.

TMAG said there were plans for the letter to be publicly display, but the location had not yet been determined.