Kiama Light

Last updated

Kiama Light
Kiama Light.jpg
Kiama Light
Kiama Light
Location Kiama
New South Wales
Australia
Coordinates 34°40′18.58″S150°51′45.47″E / 34.6718278°S 150.8626306°E / -34.6718278; 150.8626306
Tower
Constructed1887 [1]
Foundationconcrete base
Constructionconcrete-clad brick tower
Automated1920
Height51 feet (16 m) [2]
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower and lantern
Power sourcemains electricity  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
OperatorNSW Maritime
Light
Focal height119 feet (36 m)
Lens4th order Chance Brothers lens
Intensity28,000 cd
Range16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) [3]
Characteristic Fl (4) W 20s. [4]

Kiama Light, also known as Kiama Harbour Light, is an active lighthouse in Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is located close to the Kiama Blowhole on Blowhole Point, south of Kiama Harbour.

Contents

History

Kiama Light c. 1926 showing the principal and assistant keepers' houses. Kiama B&W 1926.jpg
Kiama Light c. 1926 showing the principal and assistant keepers' houses.

Tenders for the construction of the tower were called in 1886, ten years after Robertson Basin, a man-made basin, was opened in Kiama Harbour. The tower was commissioned on 1 January 1887. It was designed by Edward Orpen Moriarty MA MInstCE.

The light was established in 1887. The original apparatus was an oil burner with a catadioptric fixed lens and light intensity of 600 cd. The characteristic was fixed green and it was visible for 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi). Two houses were constructed, a principal lighthouse keeper's house close to the tower, and a one-story assistant keeper's house a bit further.

In 1908 the power source was upgraded to coal gas with an intensity of 1,500 cd and a range of 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi).

A report from 1913 says that the light is unwatched and the keeper's house is empty, though officially the station was only demanned in 1920. According to records, in 1920 the light was further upgraded to acetylene gas carbide lamp, the characteristic was changed to a group flashing and the light was automated.

The principal keeper's house was destroyed by vandals soon after this, though the other cottage remained as it was the residence of the harbour pilots.

in the 1920s. The assistant keeper's house was used for many years as the pilot's cottage and now serves as a museum and a tourist information centre.

In 1969 the light was electrified and connected to mains electricity, with a 120 V battery bank as backup. The current light source is a 120 V, 1000 W, quartz halogen lamp.

Structure

The foundation of the tower is a concrete slab, 14 feet (4.3 m) deep and 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter.

The building is made of bricks, cemented outside and plastered within. Ascending the tower is done by three iron ladders leading from one storey to the next. The top of the structure is surrounded by an artistic railing.

The tower is surrounded by a hexagonal fence

Site operation

The lighthouse is managed by Transport for NSW. The museum is managed by the Kiama Historical Society.

Visiting

The site is accessible by road and parking is available. The museum is open on weekends, but the tower is closed to the public.

See also

Notes

  1. According to all sources. Though NSW Maritime says 1867 in one column, it says 1887 in the text.
  2. According to all sources except NSW Maritime which says 15 m.
  3. According to List of Lights. Lighthouses of Australia Inc and NSW Maritime say 17 nautical miles.
  4. According to List of Lights and Lighthouses of Australia Inc. Rowlett says every 16s.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornby Lighthouse</span> 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, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Cape Lighthouse</span> 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 tallest lighthouse in New South Wales. It marks Green Cape on the northerly shore-hugging sailing course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond River Light</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowdy Head Light</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fingal Head Light</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norah Head Light</span> Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Norah Head Light is an active lighthouse located at Norah Head, a headland on the Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia, close to Toukley. It is the last lighthouse of the James Barnet style to be built, and the last staffed lighthouse constructed in New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Stephens Light</span> Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Point Stephens Light is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Point Stephens, a point on an unnamed headland at the east of Fingal Bay, 4.25 km (2.64 mi) south of the entrance of Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia. The light serves to assist vessels entering Port Stephens. It is considered an endangered lighthouse due to remote location and old age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Solitary Island Light</span> Lighthouse near Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, Australia

South Solitary Island Light is an active lighthouse on South Solitary Island, an island within the Solitary Islands Marine Park, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northeast of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is located at the summit of the island. It is considered the most isolated lighthouse on the New South Wales coast. It was first in New South Wales to use kerosene over colza oil, and the last to do so before converting to electric power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warden Head Light</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence River Light</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Don Light</span> Lighthouse in Northern Territory, Australia

Cape Don Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Don, at the tip of the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia, in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, marking the entrance to the Dundas Strait. It is Australia's northernmost traditional lighthouse. The station served on the important route to Darwin, between the peninsula and Melville Island. The tower was constructed in 1915–1917, during the "Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses" (1913–1920), and the tower was manned until 1983. During the entire period that the tower was manned it also maintained meteorological records which were well placed to assist in cyclone development tracking. The complex consists of the lighthouse, three residences and ancillary buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Rock Light</span> Lighthouse

Bay Rock Light is an inactive lighthouse which used to be located on Bay Rock, a rocky islet northwest of Magnetic Island, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. First lit in 1886, it was automated in 1920 and deactivated in the 1980s. It was relocated in 1992 to the Townsville Maritime Museum, where it is now displayed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booby Island Light</span> Lighthouse

Booby Island Light is an active heritage-listed lighthouse located on Booby Island in the Shire of Torres, near the tip of Cape York Peninsula, west of Prince of Wales Island, within the Endeavour Strait, Queensland, Australia. It marks the western entrance to the navigation channel through the Torres Strait. It was the last of the major lights to be constructed along the Queensland coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Danger Light</span> Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Point Danger Light, also known as the Captain Cook Memorial Light, is an active lighthouse located on Point Danger, a headland between Coolangatta and Tweed Heads, marking the border between Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It lays claim to be the first lighthouse in the world to experiment with laser as a light source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Bowling Green Light</span> Lighthouse in Queensland, Australia

Cape Bowling Green Light is an active lighthouse on Cape Bowling Green, a long headland ending in a long low sandspit, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Ayr, Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse is at the end of the headland, near the base of the sandspit. The first lighthouse at the location, established in 1874, was moved multiple times. It was prefabricated in Brisbane, shipped to the location, moved twice due to coastal erosion and finally transferred for display at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour in Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Moreton Light</span> Lighthouse in Queensland, Australia

Cape Moreton Light, also listed as North Point Range Rear Light, is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Cape Moreton, a rocky headland located at the north eastern tip of Moreton Island, a large sand island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay, on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. It marks the northern entrance to Moreton Bay and Brisbane and also serves as the rear light for the North Point Range. With its two distinctive red bands, it also serves as a daymark. It is the oldest lighthouse in Queensland, and the only one to be built by the New South Wales Government before the separation of Queensland, which took place in 1859. It is also the only lighthouse in Queensland to be built of stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dent Island Light</span> Lighthouse

Dent Island Light is an active lighthouse on Dent Island, a small island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, part of the Whitsunday Group of the Whitsunday Islands. Located on the southwest tip of the island, the light guides ships navigating the Whitsunday Passage, between Whitsunday Island and the islands to the west, and marks the Dent Island Passage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double Island Point Light</span> Lighthouse

Double Island Point Light is an active lighthouse located at the summit of Double Island Point, a coastal headland within the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park. It is located at the southern end of Wide Bay, 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Islet Light</span> Lighthouse

Pine Islet Light, also known as Percy Isles Light, is an active lighthouse located at Pine Islet, a small islet belonging to the Percy Isles group of the Northumberland Islands, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) southeast of Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The original lighthouse, established 1885, was active for a hundred years, until it was deactivated in 1985, by then the last kerosene powered lighthouse in Australia. It was relocated to the Mackay Marina in 1985 and restored to full working condition, making it the last fully functional kerosene operated lighthouse in the world. At the original location now stands a modern fiberglass tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low Isles Light</span> Lighthouse

Low Isles Light, also known as Low Islets Light or Low Island Light, is an active lighthouse located on Low Island, a coral cay which together with Woody Island forms the Low Isles group, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. The island is situated on the western edge of the main shipping channel into the harbour of Port Douglas, and it marks the entrance to the channel. Built in 1878, it was the first lighthouse in Far North Queensland and more specifically the first to light the Inner Passage of the Great Barrier Reef. Its construction is typical to Queensland lighthouses of the time, timber frame clad with galvanized iron, and it is the fourth lighthouse of this type constructed in Queensland, though it is the first of them to use portholes.

References

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Kiama Light at Wikimedia Commons