Lady Elliott Island Lighthouse

1872

1873 current tower 1995

Australia

Active

Fl. W. 7.5 secs

The lighthouse is largely in its original form. It is round in form and conical in shape. The base of the tower is a massive concrete floor cast within a low stone wall, with a segmented cast iron ring bolted to it. The tower is made of a timber frame clad with galvanised wrought iron plates, about 2.5 millimetres (0.098 in) thick. The plates are riveted at the joints and screwed to the timber frame and the base ring. The tower is painted white. It is topped by a gallery and a lantern, both painted white, with the lantern dome painted red. One addition to the original plan was the addition of a skillion roofed entrance porch to the base of the tower. New light is a steel tower

The Lady Elliot Island Lighthouse on the Great Barrier Reef is significant as it was the third completed in Queensland after separation from New South Wales.

It was also the first built in Australia using a timber framed substructure and cast iron external cladding. A temporary light was erected there in 1866 which was in the form of a tall mast on which the light was exhibited. The light was erected in connection with the guano company mining on the island and blew away in a gale in 1871. A new mast was erected and in 1872 plans were drawn up for the lighthouse.

The light was originally a flashing white light of 4,000 candle power.This was increased in 1923 to 23,000 candle power and again in 1928 to 85,000 candle power. The pedestal was altered in 1928.

100 km from the coast, the 6 Hectares (15 acres) island, is a coral cay being only 2 metres above sea level. It is at the southern most point of The Great Barrier Reef.

It’s name is given by the crew of the Lady Elliot, a British ship, who were the first to discover the island. Many wrecks surround the island and over the years, the keepers have assisted in many sea rescues.

The island was badly deforested by the original guano mining, however much work has been done to restore the vegetation, mainly casuarinas (she-oaks), pandanus palms, and a few pisonias, which has brought back a large bird nesting population.

Again the hardships of living on a lighthouse on such a remote island, and at sea, are brought to us by the two headstones enclosed by a low white picket fence.

One is of the 30-year-old daughter of the first Lady Elliot lightkeeper. This young woman was born on the island and lived most of her lonely life there. She contracted pneumonia and despite desperate efforts by her parents, (stores ships at that time only called once every four months) died in 1896.

The other is that of a turn-of-the-century wife of a ship’s captain who died at sea, but had earlier made her husband promise to bury her on terra firma (Lady Elliot Island being the nearest landfall).

The old Lighthouse is listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List

AMSA

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Old lighthouse is in reasonale condition and the new one is OK

Closed

Closed

24°06′53″S 152°42′43″E

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elliot_Island_Light
2. https://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/qld.htm

• Old (1873): ARLHS AUS-299
• New (1995): ARLHS AUS-100; Admiralty K2962; NGA 10464.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elliot_Island_Light
2. https://lighthouses.org.au/qld/lady-elliot-island-lighthouse/
3. http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=105415
4. Chance Lighthouses (1856-1917) (61 years), David Encill's list 1856-95: Lady Elliott's Island; 1872; Holophotal revolving lights