Rumour has it that some of the Mallacoota locals used to ride along the beach to Gabo Island every Sunday to drink their supply of bottled beer. Although this delighted one light keeper, the other keeper was a teetotaller and couldn’t bear the carousing party and so, prior to one of their binges, he dug a channel through the sand which immediately wid­ened and subsequent heavy seas separated Gabo from the mainland. Ga Ik) became an island, alone and aloof like the great actress.