I enjoyed this night/nights Phil. Middle of winter, after bushwalking for two days (set out for three days in total) had non-stop rain and wind -wombats and/or bloody possums keeping me up all night head-butting the tent- I turn up at a remote lightstation.
"Can I stay please?" I originally planned to walk the next leg-25kms walk straight back to my car bypassing the lightstation.
"Sorry, off you go- if you start walking now it'll only take you six hours" says he.
I convince him, he says OK.
The 'best night' bit was the feeling of having the light station and the 1859 bluestone lighthouse to myself. Not anther soul-especially being mid winter. I sat in the lighthouse staring at the offshore islands and the swell of about 6-10 metres and rain and howling wind well into the dark and up early again to watch the sunrise. A wee drop of the good stuff and some fruit cake both times to keep me well. Had such a time I asked him again for the next night and did it all over again. Carried 800gms of Dark Fruit cake as sustenance against the cold. In between slept in the old school teachers house with the roof shaking from the wind, just like a wee bairn as my old man used to say. When I ran out of most food, coffee and fruit cake- I knew it was getting time to fang it, but still hung on the extra day, just for another night.
One of the shy lightstation locals roaming in the late and early gloaming. My dodgy zoom photo.