Tacking Point Lighthouse

Last updated

Tacking Point Lighthouse
Tacking Point Lighthouse qtl1 cropped.jpg
Tacking Point Lighthouse, 2012
Tacking Point Lighthouse
Location Port Macquarie
New South Wales
Australia
Coordinates 31°28′32″S152°56′14″E / 31.4755°S 152.9372°E / -31.4755; 152.9372 Coordinates: 31°28′32″S152°56′14″E / 31.4755°S 152.9372°E / -31.4755; 152.9372
Tower
Constructed1879
Constructioncement render bricks
Automated1919
Height8 m (26 ft) [1]
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, lantern and attached storeroom, blue balcony rail
Power sourcemains electricity  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
OperatorAustralian Maritime Safety Authority
Light
Focal height34 m (111 ft)
Intensity12,800  cd
Range16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi)
Characteristic Fl (4) W 20s.

Tacking Point Lighthouse is Australia's thirteenth oldest lighthouse. It was built on a rocky headland about 8 kilometres south of Port Macquarie in 1879 by Shepherd and Joseph William Mortley, to a design by the New South Wales Colonial Architect, James Barnet. It is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and is classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

Contents

Tacking Point was named by explorer Matthew Flinders in 1802 during his 1802–1803 circumnavigation of Australia. [2] Its nearest lighthouses are Smoky Cape Lighthouse at South West Rocks, to the north, and Crowdy Head Light, to the south.

History

Original plans by James Barnet, 1878 Tacking Point Light, plan of lighthouse and keepers' quarters, 1878.jpg
Original plans by James Barnet, 1878

In the mid-nineteenth century, there were few lights in the Tacking Point area and over 20 ships were wrecked. The first occurred in December 1823 when the schooner Black Jack was wrecked on the Port Macquarie bar. [3] Consequently, in 1879, a fixed catadioptric light of less than 1000 candelas was erected on Tacking Point. It was the fourth of five small navigational lighthouses built to a design by James Barnet. [4] The other four lighthouses were Crowdy Head Light, Fingal Head Light, Richmond River Light and Clarence River Light (now demolished). [5] Only two of these lighthouses, Tacking Point and Crowdy Head still have a storeroom attached. [5]

The lighthouse was built of cement-rendered bricks and only needed to be 8 metres high due to the elevation of the site. In 1919, the light was converted from wick oil light to automatic acetylene operation, and was de-manned in 1920. [6] The light was converted to mains electricity in 1974. [4] The foundations of the keeper's cottage are still visible.

Management of the lighthouse is shared by three government authorities: the New South Wales Department of Lands owns the lighthouse; Transport for NSW operates the light; [7] and the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council manages the site. Vandalism has been a problem in the early 2000s. Resolving the issue has been complicated by the split management. [8]

Tourism

Tacking Point Lighthouse viewed from Miners Beach, 2008. TPL&Beach.JPG
Tacking Point Lighthouse viewed from Miners Beach, 2008.

The Lighthouse headland marks the end of the circa 9 km Coastal Walk from Town Beach to Lighthouse Beach being built by the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. The lighthouse is also a popular site for whale watching. [8] The area is used for surfing and there is a surf life-saving club at the neighbouring Lighthouse Beach.

See also

Notes

  1. List of Lights says a slightly lower 24 feet (7.3 m)
  2. Darroch, Donald (2003) East Coast Australia: Sydney to Cairns, Footprint Travel Guides, p. 183
  3. "Classified Advertising". Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. 18 December 1823.
  4. 1 2 Port Macquarie-Hastings Council: Tacking Point Lighthouse
  5. 1 2 Letter by Editor Steve Merson, Bulletin of the Lighthouses of Australia, Inc, No. 8, December 2003
  6. "Tacking Point Lighthouse". Lighthouses of New South Wales. Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
  7. "Lighthouse Lights – NSW Maritime". maritime.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Tacking Point Lighthouse vandalised again", Lighthouses of Australia, Inc. Bulletin, 8 (4) July/August 2005

Related Research Articles

Palm Beach, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Palm Beach is a suburb in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Palm Beach is located 41 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. Palm Beach sits on a peninsula at the end of Barrenjoey Road, between Pittwater and Broken Bay. The population of Palm Beach was 1,593 as at the 2016 census.

Port Macquarie Town in New South Wales, Australia

Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about 390 km (242 mi) north of Sydney, and 570 km (354 mi) south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and at the eastern end of the Oxley Highway (B56). The town with its suburbs had a population of 47,973 in June 2018.

Macquarie Lighthouse Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, is the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. It is located on Dunbar Head, on the Old South Head Road, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is situated approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) south of South Head near the entrance to Sydney Harbour. There has been a navigational aid in this vicinity since 1791 and a lighthouse near the present site since 1818. The current heritage-listed lighthouse was completed in 1883. The lighthouse and associated buildings were designed by James Barnet and built from 1881 to 1883.

Hornby Lighthouse Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Hornby Lighthouse, also known as South Head Lower Light or South Head Signal Station, is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on the tip of South Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland to the north of the suburb Watsons Bay. It marks the southern entrance to Port Jackson and Sydney Harbour, as well as lighting the South Reef, a ledge of submerged rocks. It is the third oldest lighthouse in New South Wales. Designed by Mortimer Lewis and listed on the Register of the National Estate and on the New South Wales State Heritage Register since 2 April 1999, with the following statement of significance:

A dominant Sydney landmark which appears to have been in continuous use since the 1840s as a controlling point for shipping entering and leaving Port Jackson. The building complex, designed by the Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis in the early 1840s, is an architectural important example of an early Victorian public work associated with port activities.

James Barnet

James Johnstone Barnet, was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890.

Fingal Head, New South Wales Town in New South Wales, Australia

Fingal Head is a village on the Tasman Sea coast in the far northeast of New South Wales, Australia, about 5 km south of the New South Wales and Queensland border. The village is often just called Fingal. The headland and the small off-shore Island were first sighted by James Cook about 17:00 on 16 May 1770. At the time of the 2016 census, Fingal Head had a population of 592 people.

Green Cape Lighthouse Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Green Cape Lighthouse is a heritage-listed lighthouse located at the tip of Green Cape, a headland forming the northern boundary of Disaster Bay, in southern New South Wales, Australia. It is the southernmost lighthouse in New South Wales and Australia's first lighthouse built in concrete. At 29 metres (95 ft) it is also the second tallest lighthouse in New South Wales. It marks Green Cape on the northerly shore-hugging sailing course.

Nobbys Head

Nobbys Head is a headland located on the southern entrance to Newcastle Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The headland is situated above the Hunter River and the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean.

Smoky Cape Lighthouse Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Smoky Cape Lighthouse is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Smoky Cape, a headland in Arakoon east of the town of South West Rocks, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia, and within the Hat Head National Park. It directs boats towards the entrance to the Macleay River, which is located just to the north of the lighthouse.

Crowdy Head Suburb of Council, New South Wales, Australia

Crowdy Head is a headland on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, 7km from Harrington between Forster and Port Macquarie. The head is mostly cleared and was quarried between 1895 and 1901 for the Manning River training wall.

Richmond River Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Richmond River Light, also known as Ballina Head Light and Ballina Light, is an active lighthouse located at Ballina Head, a headland in Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. The headland is at the northern side of the entrance to the Richmond River. It used to serve to guide ships into the river port and is used also serves as a leading light into the river, together with a steamer's masthead lantern with a 200 mm lens which is raised on a wooden structure 30 metres (98 ft) from it.

Cape Byron Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Cape Byron Light, also called Cape Byron Lightstation, is an active heritage-listed lighthouse and now interpretative centre, interpretative space, maritime museum, administration office, retail building, accommodation, tourist attraction and visitor attraction located at Lighthouse Road, Byron Bay, Cape Byron, Byron Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Charles Harding and Cecil W. Darley and built from 1899 to 1901 by Messrs Mitchell & King. It is also known as Cape Byron Lightstation, Byron Bay Lighthouse, Cape Byron Headlan and Cape Byron Headland Reserve. The property is owned by NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Crowdy Head Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Crowdy Head Light is an active lighthouse located at Crowdy Head, a headland between Forster and Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. It is registered with the Register of the National Estate.

Fingal Head Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Fingal Head Light is an active lighthouse located at Fingal Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Point Danger, which marks the Queensland border.

Barrenjoey Head Lighthouse Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Barrenjoey Head Lighthouse is a heritage-listed lighthouse at Barrenjoey Headland, Palm Beach, Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by James Barnet, the New South Wales Colonial Architect and built by Isaac Banks. It is also known as Barrenjoey Head Lightstation. The property is owned by Office of Environment and Heritage, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The lightstation was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Sugarloaf Point Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Sugarloaf Point Light, also known as Seal Rocks Lighthouse, is an active lighthouse located on Sugarloaf Point, a point about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southeast of Seal Rocks, Mid-Coast Council, New South Wales, Australia. It guards Seal Rocks, a treacherous rock formation to the south. It is the first lighthouse designed by James Barnet, and built from 1874 to 1875 by John McLeod. It is also one of only two towers in Australia with an external stairway. It is also known as Sugarloaf Point Lightstation Group, Seal Rocks Lightstation Complex and Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse. The property is owned by National Parks and Wildlife Service. It was added to the Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004; on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 February 2019; and on the Register of the National Estate on 10 April 1989.

Warden Head Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Warden Head Light, also known as Ulladulla Lighthouse, is an active lighthouse on Warden Head, a headland south of Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia, guarding the entrance to the Port of Ulladulla. It is one of only two wrought iron lighthouses in New South Wales, the other being its sibling, Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse. It is also notable for two relocations: the tower was constructed in 1873 on the Ulladulla Breakwater, and relocated in 1889 to its current location. Its keeper's house was relocated to a different location in the 1920s.

Clarence River Light Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Clarence River Light, also known as Yamba Light or Clarence Head Light, is an active lighthouse located on Pilot Hill, a hill in Wooli Park, Yamba, New South Wales, Australia, south of the entrance of Clarence River. The current lighthouse was built in 1955, replacing a previous lighthouse built in 1880. It serves as the rear range light for two different ranges.

Norah Head Lightstation Precinct Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Norah Head Lightstation Precinct is a heritage-listed former lighthouse precinct located at Bush Street, Norah Head in the Central Coast local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The Norah Head lighthouse and associated buildings were designed by Cecil W. Darley and built in 1903. The precinct was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 13 April 2007.

References