Sandy Cape Light
Location | Sandy Cape Queensland Australia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 24°43′47.9″S 153°12′31.18″E / 24.729972°S 153.2086611°E |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1870 |
Foundation | concrete |
Construction | cast iron[3] |
Automated | 1995 |
Height | 85 feet (26 m)[1] |
Shape | conical tower with balcony and lantern |
Markings | white tower and lantern, red lantern dome |
Power source | solar power |
Operator | Australian Maritime Safety Authority |
Heritage | listed on the Queensland Heritage Register |
Light | |
Focal height | 421 feet (128 m)[2] |
Lens | first order Chance Brothers (original), VRB-25 (current) |
Intensity | 160,000 cd |
Range | 21 nautical miles (39 km; 24 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl W 10s. |
Sandy Cape Light is a
History
The
The materials from Brisbane and cement from Sydney were brought by ship, unloaded into barges, and then pulled by horses in trolleys on a 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) wooden rail, rising 50 metres (160 ft). Materials were then raised the final 50 metres (160 ft) by a horse-powered whim.[6][8] It was originally planned that the light will be the first to be constructed by the new Queensland government. However, it was beaten by Bustard Head Light, constructed in 1868. Sandy Cape light was finally officially lit in May 1870.[6]
The original apparatus was a revolving first order Chance Brothers apparatus which showed a
In 1875, the light source was changed to Kerosene. In 1915, the station was transferred to the Commonwealth.[6] The light was upgraded in 1917 and again in 1923.[7] In one of these upgrades when the light source was converted to an incandescent mantle using vaporised kerosene.[6]
In the 1930s[9] the lens was replaced with a 4th order Chance Brothers lens and the lighthouse was converted to electrical operation. Around that time The keepers' cottages were rebuilt and most of the other buildings at the premises were constructed.[5] Septic tanks were only installed in the 1960s. A boarded roadway was constructed in the 1970s and a brick engine room was built in 1974. The kitchens were renovated in the 1980s.[6]
In 1995, the lighthouse was converted to
Current display
The current characteristic is one white flash every ten seconds (Fl.W. 10 s), visible for 21 nautical miles (39 km; 24 mi).
Structures
The tower
The lighthouse is round conical in form, standing 26 metres (85 ft) high.[1] It is constructed of prefabricated cast iron plates, and painted white, with splayed flanges at the base[5] standing on a 4 metres (13 ft) concrete base foundation.[11] The diameter at the base is approximately 7 metres (23 ft),[14] tapering to about 4 metres (13 ft) at the top, below the lantern.[5] Internally it has five floors,[6] connected by a spiral iron staircase with cast iron steps, adjoined to the internal walls.[5] The lighthouse has two entrances, one at the bottom and one about 3 metres (9.8 ft) above the ground,[11] accessible by an outside staircase supported on brackets.[5] The bottom entrance provides access to the ground floor, where a display of various maritime artefacts resides, including the 4th order Chance Brothers lens. The top entrance leads to the main tower.[11] The words ""Kitson & Co LEEDS 1866" are cast above the doorway.[6]
The tower is topped by a
Other buildings
A workshop and some other associated structures surround the lighthouse. The residences at the station consist of two one-story
Also on the premises is a small picket fenced cemetery to the south of the station, with several stone headstones.[5]
Site operation and visiting
The light is operated by the
Heritage listing
The light was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1998.[17]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b List of Lights and Lighthouses of Australia Inc. QLD601712 and Shultz 2001 say 33 m.
- ^ List of Lights. Lighthouses of Australia Inc lists 116 Metres.
- ^ Rowlett states "wood frame tower covered by cast iron panels", though the wood framing isn't mentioned by any other source.
- ^ a b c d e f QLD601712.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m AHD19575.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
- ^ a b c d e QLD601724.
- ^ Whim.
- ^ Shultz 2001 states 1930. QLD601724 states "Probably 1936". The exact date is probably related with the rebuilding of the quarters for which Lighthouses of Australia Inc states 1933 while AHD19575 and QLD601724 state 1935. It is also related with the conversion to electricity for which QLD601724 states "in the 1930s".
- ^ Lighthouses of Australia Inc. QLD601724 lists April 1991.
- ^ a b c d Shultz 2001.
- ^ Lighthouses of Australia Inc. QLD601724 lists April 1994.
- ^ List of Lights
- ^ AHD19575. Shultz 2001 states 8 m.
- ^ FraserIsland.net (2006). "Fraser Island General Access". Retrieved 2 January 2007.
- ^ Rowlett.
- ^ "Sandy Cape Lightstation (entry 601712)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
References
- List of Lights, Pub. 111: The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2009. p. 208.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Southern Queensland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- "The Sandy Cape Lighthouse". Lighthouses of Queensland. Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
- "Sandy Cape Lightstation, Orchid Beach, QLD, Australia (Place ID 19575)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government.
- "Sandy Cape Lightstation (listing QLD601712)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
- "Booby Island Lightstation (listing QLD601724)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
- Shultz, Denise (February 2001). "Sandy Cape Trip With Denise Shultz". Lighthouses of Australia Inc Bulletin. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
- Whim at the Sandy Cape Lighthouse, Fraser Island, ca. 1903,
External links
- Searle, Garry. "List of Lighthouses - Queensland". Lighthouses of Australia. SeaSide Lights.