A Light on the Rocks

In 1859, fourteen-year-old Daisy is travelling on the SS Admella from Adelaide to Melbourne, when the steamship is wrecked on a submerged reef near Cape Banks, in what became known as one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters. A century later, siblings Max and Rose spend their summer holidays at Cape Jaffa Lighthouse, perched on a reef, eight miles out to sea, where their father is head keeper. While exploring the reef, they encounter a ghostly horse—one of six aboard the Admella when it went down. As they unravel the secrets of the past, an accident leaves their father and the assistant keeper injured, and Max and Rose are left to care for them while also ensuring the lighthouse keeps burning through the night. Set across two timelines, connected by place, mystery and magic, A Light on the Rocks is a haunting tale, about survival, self-belief and the wild beauty of the sea. With a ghost horse, a singing whale, and real events woven through the narrative, this is a masterful maritime adventure that brings the almost-forgotten history of the SS Admella and the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse to life. Helen was awarded a mid-career fellowship with the South Australian State Library, supported by Writers’ SA, along with a grant from the South Australian History Trust to research and write this beautifully crafted tale.