Eclipse Island Lighthouse

Lighthouse on south coast of Western Australia

Lighthouse

35°10′50.4″S 117°53′17.1″E / 35.180667°S 117.888083°E / -35.180667; 117.888083TowerConstructed1926Constructionconcrete towerAutomated1976Height14 metres (46 ft)Shapecylindrical tower with lantern removed in 1976Markingsunpainted tower, with beacon installed in 1976Power sourcesolar power

OperatorAustralian Maritime Safety Authority^[1]HeritageState Registered Place

LightFocal height119 metres (390 ft)Intensity17,000 cdRange15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi)CharacteristicFI (3) W 12s.

Western Australia Heritage Register

TypeState Registered PlaceDesignated30 August 2002Reference no.15740

Eclipse Island Lighthouse is an active lighthouse in Eclipse Island off the south coast of Western Australia^[2]

History

It was built in 1926 as a cylindrical tower made of concrete. Initially, it was a staffed light using kerosene as lantern fuel in combination with a first order Fresnel lens. In 1976 the lantern was completely removed and the optic was put on display at the Western Australian Museum. Today the light is emitted from atop a mast on the lighthouse's concrete trunk. The characteristic is a group of three flashes every twelve seconds from a focal plane at 117 metres (384 ft) above sea level.^[3]

Three family quarters made of brick with fibro roofing along with several outbuildings, concrete tanks and bases, generator shed, helipad and a concrete landing can be found around the lighthouse. A trestle based light gauge railway and cable towers are also found in the lighthouse precinct, and was all constructed during the interwar period.^[4]

Notes

^ Eclipse Island Lighthouse Lighthouse of Australia inc.
^ "The New Lighthouse on Eclipse Island". Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 29 August 1926. p. 1 Section: Second Section. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Western Australia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
^ "Heritage Assessment Documentation" (PDF). 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

References

Scott, Nuala; Albany Residency Museum (1988), Eclipse Island lighthouse, Albany, Western Australia, Albany Residency Museum, ISBN 978-0-7316-5110-8
Austin, Stan; Western Australian Museum (2004), Lighthouses of Albany, Western Australian Museum, ISBN 978-1-920843-13-7
Eclipse Island, Albany, Western Australia : the Australian Maritime Safety Authority lighthouse conservation assessment, The Architects, 2000, retrieved 28 April 2013
"The new lighthouse on Eclipse Island". Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 29 August 1926. p. 1 Section: Second Section. Retrieved 13 April 2011.