For Joan Seth, the love of Babbage Island Lighthouse is in her blood.
Her grandfather was the lighthouse keeper, as was her father and uncle.
Her brother-in-law was its last keeper.
As a volunteer guide at the historical site, she is now the keeper of her family's stories.
She shares these and her own stories of growing up in the lighthouse keeper's cottage with visitors to the historical site.
Ms Seth said one of the things she remembered most was the freedom.
"It was the best childhood. It was just so free and easy," she said.
"Our pastimes were fishing, crabbing, swimming, helping push sheep down the jetty to the boats, or go up the sand hills and play.
"Mum ran goats on the island, and we just lived on goat, fish and crabs. That was our staple diet."
The lighthouse was built in the late 1890s next to One Mile Jetty, about four kilometres from Carnarvon on WA's north-west coast.
"I used to go up it and chase the pigeons out for Dad and help him clean the windows," Ms Seth said.
"I don't think I did much help. I was probably more a pain in the bum."
Idyllic childhood memories
Ms Seth was born while her parents, Flo and Herbert Freeman, were living at the lighthouse cottage.
She said the place only turned into an island when the seasonal Gascoyne River came down and cut it off.
Her father's role was maintaining the light in the lighthouse and also the one placed at the end of the jetty.
"My dad was a keen fisherman, and every night when we went down, I quite often went down with him because my brother and sister were a lot older than me, so I was Dad's shadow," Ms Seth said.
"We'd go down to the end of the jetty to check the light and put kerosene in, and he'd always come home with a feed of fish for dinner."
The family used a sail trolley to get into town, running on the train tracks.
"If there was no wind, you just had to sit on the side, like a scooter, and just get one foot and just push it along or run and get it going," Ms Seth said.
"Then we'd get on and just let it go until it ran out of steam, and then you'd get off again and push it a little bit along.
"I didn't. I was too small and just sat there and didn't have to do any work."
Island a 'special place'
Ms Seth lived at the lighthouse cottage until her father's death when she was nine.
She said it was a special place, with about 10 homes on Babbage Island at the time.
After her father's death, her family stayed on in the area.
"We moved into a little house over the other side on the island, " Ms Seth said.
"And my mum and auntie decided they were going to build a snack bar to feed the whalers."
Ms Seth has been a guide at the lighthouse grounds for more than a decade now.
She said her family encouraged her to write a book about her life, and she was working on an autobiography.
"I just love coming out here, " Ms Seth said.
"I grew up with the lighthouse, and I think I'm more passionate now than I was when I was a kid because as a kid, it was just that's where I lived, and that's what Dad did."
The original wooden tower was replaced by a steel tower in 1962, which has since been removed because of concerns about corrosion.
The light has now been placed on the grounds of the cottage for protection from the elements, and Ms Seth said locals were looking to get it restored and shining again.
"There are a lot of people that are just very passionate about lighthouses," she said.
"I've had people come through here that say they just love looking at lighthouses. I guess it's because of the history, maybe."
