Bluff Point Leading Lights
lightkeepers cottage -- the square tower at the rear of the cottage is the former upper light.
Photo by Orderinchaos, 2014. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Not modified. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Orderinchaos/gallery/WA_-_Country
Chance Brothers Lighthouse
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Date of lens manufacture
1874
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Date of lighthouse construction
1876
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Country
Australia
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Commissioning body
Colony of Western Australia
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Order of lens
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Fixed or revolving lens
Fixed
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Active/Inactive
Inactive
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Describe the character of light
Fixed, red
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Describe the lighthouses daymarks
Lower light: octagonal masonry tower on beach, painted white Upper light: square masonry tower with lightkeepers quarters attached, painted white
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Which aspects of the lighthouse (other than the lens) were manufactured by Chance brothers
To be confirmed.
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Describe the history of the lighthouse
The Bluff leading lights were built to indicate a break in the reef to vessels rounding Pt Moore. The upper light consisted of a square tower attached to the lightkeepers cottage. The lower light was around 260m away and stood on the beach. The lightkeepers cottage has been the headquarters of the Geraldton Historical Society since 1972. There is a museum on the site and the lens from the upper light is on display. There is a lens from Bluff Point listed in the WA Museum collection. Link to WA Museum catalogue: https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/content/T1970.458 (Is it the same lens?) Photo of upper light lens at: https://lighthouses.org.au/wa/bluff-point-lighthouse/
The lower tower was damaged by fire in 1952 and was demolished. A newspaper report says that the keeper had extinguished the light at 7am. The fire was reported by 9.30am. When the fire engine arrived, the wooden lantern, gallery and internal stairs were well alight. Because of the soft sand the engine could not get to the tower so the fire was allowed to burn itself out. The report stated that a 'lamp' worth £300 was destroyed -- could this include the lower lens? (Total value of destruction was given as £500.)
Other sources say that the lights were automated and electrified in 1943 -- perhaps this was only the upper light?
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Current management body/ ports authority
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Historical preservation societies/manager/operator
Geraldton Historical Society
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Is the site vulnerable to coastal erosion?
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Have you experienced any affects of climate change on the lighthouse?
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Observations on the condition of the lighthouse?
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Is the site open/closed to the public
Open
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Is the tower open/closed to the public
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Latitude and Longitude
-28.7438° 114.6215°
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On-site bookable accommodation available
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Associated web addresses
- Low light street view https://www.google.com/maps/@-28.7430307,114.6191171,3a,75y,270h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sMYGq-Y6-E00Q5WULq8oEOw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DMYGq-Y6-E00Q5WULq8oEOw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D60.61092%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?shorturl=1
- Up building street view https://www.google.com/maps/@-28.7437539,114.6216695,3a,75y,300.46h,99.89t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1sL8TepDVGYOP6hISqxPHTKg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!9m2!1b1!2i47
- https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/lights/1000016458/_:54c94c98a09dd9fc1be73b78dc792f6b
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Other details
- Bluff Point Range Rear (1): ARLHS AUS-009.
- Bluff Point Common Range Rear (3?): Admiralty Q1742.1; NGA 9169.
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Which resources did you use to research this lighthouses?
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Chance Lighthouse Destroyed or Ruined
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Date of decommissioning of lighthouse
1952
Unde?
