Bay Rock Light
Encyclopedia
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 (12.4 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.
station on West Point, Magnetic Island. It also assisted passage into Cleveland Bay or to a main shipping anchor
age off Bay Rock.
The lighthouse was 8 metres (26.2 ft) high, made of a timber frame
clad
with zinc
-annealed
galvanized corrugated iron sheets. It was the fourth in a group of eight lighthouses made of hardwood
frame clad with corrugated iron, which included, by order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, Grassy Hill Light
, Goods Island Light
, itself, Old Caloundra Light
, North Point Hummock Light (demolished), Gatcombe Head Light (demolished) and Bulwer Island Light
. The original light source was a Kerosene
mantle with an intensity of 1,200 cd
. Standing at an elevation of 29 metres (95.1 ft), it showed a characteristic of a group of red and white flashes every six seconds (Gr. W.R. 6s) which was visible for 14 nautical miles (25.9 km) for the white flashes and 7 nautical miles (13 km) for the red ones. The original lens was a 4th order dioptric.
The lighthouse was originally manned, and a small cottage accommodated the keeper
and his family. The last keeper was John Albert Edward Lawson. In March 1920 John Lawson was lost at sea when a small fishing boat capsized. This led to the decision to automate the operation of the lighthouse, and it was demanned in 1920. The light was converted to an automatic acetylene gas burner (carbide lamp
).
During the 1980s the lighthouse was deactivated and replaced with a small fiberglass beacon. The beacon has NGA
number 111-10030 and Admiralty
number K3117. It is still active, displaying a characteristic of two white flashes, every eight seconds (Fl.(2)W. 8s).
In 1992 the lighthouse was relocated to the Townsville Maritime Museum . The top of the lighthouse was transported with an emergency services helicopter. The lighthouse was restored by Queensland Transport, and officially opened to the public in September, 2003.
, in Townsville. It is open daily, for a fee.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
which used to be located on Bay Rock, a rocky islet northwest of Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry...
, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) north of Townsville, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. 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.
History
Bay Rock Light was first lit in 1886. It was originally located on Bay Rock, at location 19°7′0"S 146°45′12"E, its main use being assisting vessels into a quarantineQuarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
station on West Point, Magnetic Island. It also assisted passage into Cleveland Bay or to a main shipping anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
age off Bay Rock.
The lighthouse was 8 metres (26.2 ft) high, made of a timber frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
clad
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
with zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
-annealed
Annealing (metallurgy)
Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment wherein a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness. It is a process that produces conditions by heating to above the recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and...
galvanized corrugated iron sheets. It was the fourth in a group of eight lighthouses made of hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
frame clad with corrugated iron, which included, by order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, Grassy Hill Light
Grassy Hill Light
Grassy Hill Light, also known as Cooktown Light, is an active lighthouse located on Grassy Hill above Cooktown, Queensland, Australia, on the south side of the entrance to Endeavour River.-History:...
, Goods Island Light
Goods Island Light
Goods Island Light is an active lighthouse located on the highest point of Goods Island , an island in the Torres Strait, belonging to Queensland, Australia. It serves as the rear light of the Goods Island Range, pointing out the entrance to Normanby Sound.-History:The first navigation aid on Goods...
, itself, Old Caloundra Light
Old Caloundra Light
Old Caloundra Light, also known as Old Caloundra Head Light or Cape Caloundra Light, is an inactive lighthouse located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest surviving building in Caloundra. The lighthouse was active between 1896 and 1968. The tower...
, North Point Hummock Light (demolished), Gatcombe Head Light (demolished) and Bulwer Island Light
Bulwer Island Light
Bulwer Island Light, also known as Bulwer Island Range Rear Light, is an inactive lighthouse that used to be located on Bulwer Island, in the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In 1983 it was moved to the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane....
. The original light source was a Kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
mantle with an intensity of 1,200 cd
Candela
The candela is the SI base unit of luminous intensity; that is, power emitted by a light source in a particular direction, weighted by the luminosity function . A common candle emits light with a luminous intensity of roughly one candela...
. Standing at an elevation of 29 metres (95.1 ft), it showed a characteristic of a group of red and white flashes every six seconds (Gr. W.R. 6s) which was visible for 14 nautical miles (25.9 km) for the white flashes and 7 nautical miles (13 km) for the red ones. The original lens was a 4th order dioptric.
The lighthouse was originally manned, and a small cottage accommodated the keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
and his family. The last keeper was John Albert Edward Lawson. In March 1920 John Lawson was lost at sea when a small fishing boat capsized. This led to the decision to automate the operation of the lighthouse, and it was demanned in 1920. The light was converted to an automatic acetylene gas burner (carbide lamp
Carbide lamp
Carbide lamps, properly known as acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide with water....
).
During the 1980s the lighthouse was deactivated and replaced with a small fiberglass beacon. The beacon has NGA
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States with the primary mission of collecting, analyzing and distributing geospatial intelligence in support of national security. NGA was formerly known as the National Imagery and Mapping Agency ...
number 111-10030 and Admiralty
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...
number K3117. It is still active, displaying a characteristic of two white flashes, every eight seconds (Fl.(2)W. 8s).
In 1992 the lighthouse was relocated to the Townsville Maritime Museum . The top of the lighthouse was transported with an emergency services helicopter. The lighthouse was restored by Queensland Transport, and officially opened to the public in September, 2003.
Visiting
The Townsville Maritime Museum is located on the south side of Ross CreekRoss Creek
Ross Creek is an estuary inlet within the city of Townsville, Queensland. It separates the Townsville CBD from Ross Island. The only passage across Ross Creek was by ferry until Victoria Bridge was completed in 1889.-History:...
, in Townsville. It is open daily, for a fee.