Arthur Head Lighthouse
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Date of lens manufacture
1873
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Date of lighthouse construction
1879
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Country
Australia
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Commissioning body
Colony of Western Australia
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Order of lens
3rd order
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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 white
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Describe the lighthouses daymarks
Unpainted stone tower; white (?) lantern
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Which aspects of the lighthouse (other than the lens) were manufactured by Chance brothers
Lantern, and originally probably the burners and associated equipment
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Describe the history of the lighthouse
This tower was the second lighthouse on Arthur Head and was lit on 1 October 1879 after some delay caused by a ‘want of supplies of oil’. The original lighthouse, lit in 1851, was taken out of service, truncated and had a conical roof added. The old lighthouse was then used to store signal flags.
The new tower was designed by the director of public works, JH Thomas, and was described in the press as ‘neat and substantial’. It was built of stone. The Chance lantern and third order lens were originally supplied for use on the lighthouse on Flagstaff Hill in Geraldton. This tower was not completed; instead a Chance cast iron lighthouse was erected on Point Moore.
The fixed white light could be seen for about 16nm. The fuel was kerosene.
An excellent close-up photo of the second lighthouse can be found at https://lighthouses.org.au/wa/arthur-head-lighthouse/ (image 2). The photo shows a series of signal discs in the lantern which showed coloured lights in various configurations when different types and numbers of vessels were approaching the port.
The second lighthouse became redundant in 1902 when the Woodman Point leading light came into use. Keeper William Efford was transferred to the new Woodman Pt lighthouse.The apparatus and lantern were removed and sent to Bunbury for the new lighthouse there. The dome and glazing are still in use. The lens is now in the collection of the WA Museum (https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/content/T1970.457) but it is not clear whether it is on display.
Western Australia had always been poorly defended and by the early 1900s it was considered necessary to build a battery on Arthur Head. A lot of stone had been removed from the headland during the construction of Fremantle harbour so there was little room to build the battery. The redundant lighthouse tower was in the way and had to be removed.
There was a plan to move the tower to a park elsewhere in Fremantle where it would become a visitor attraction, ‘as from it, splendid views could be obtained of the surrounding land and seascapes’. The cost was estimated at £370. Although everyone seemed to agree that it was a good idea, neither the Fremantle Council nor the government wanted to pay for it! Discussions rumbled on for a couple of years, but eventually the matter became urgent. In May 1905 CH Carter’s tender of £120 to remove the lighthouse was accepted. The tower was broken up and used for road base.
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Current management body/ ports authority
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Historical preservation societies/manager/operator
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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
32° 03" 14´ S 115° 45" 12´ E
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On-site bookable accommodation available
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Associated web addresses
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Other details
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Which resources did you use to research this lighthouses?
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Date of decommissioning of lighthouse
23 August 1902