Cape Capricorn Light
Encyclopedia
Cape Capricorn Light is an active lighthouse
located on Cape Capricorn
, a coastal headland
on the northeast point of Curtis Island, in Central Queensland
, Australia
. The lighthouse, constructed in 1964, is the third at this site, following a timber frame
lighthouse constructed in 1875 and a concrete
lighthouse constructed around 1937.
by Queen Victoria in 1859. The need for pilot assistance accessing the mouth of Fitzroy River
and the Port of Rockhampton
necessitates the construction of a pilot station on Curtis Island. The first permanent station was established on Cape Capricorn as early as 1861. Though it was moved to Grassy Hill
three years later, the need for a lighthouse at Cape Capricorn remained a priority.
Plans for a lighthouse and cottages were prepared in early 1874 by the office of F. D. G. Stanley, Colonial Architect of Queensland, with an estimated cost of £1460 for the lighthouse and cottages. The lighthouse, a typical Queensland timber framed and iron clad
structure, was to be prefabricated and built in Brisbane
. However, the only response to the first tender was an overpriced offer of £2850. The second tender was more successful, the winning offer being by James Midson for £1046/10/-. The construction was completed some time in October 1874, and an additional contract was granted to Midson for the erection of the structures on the site for the sum of £753. Quite remarkably, a last minute change in the order of the lantern from England meant that no lamp room was ordered. An urgent request for an additional £180 was made by Stanley for construction of a lamp room from timber framing with iron plating, instead of the planned cast iron one. The lighthouse was operational around late July 1875. The original light source was an oil wick burner.
An 1895 survey also reports two additional auxiliary lights on Cape Capricorn, to the north and southeast of the main lighthouse.
Supplying the station was done from Rockhampton, and was quite a difficult task. Supplies were brought to the base of the hill by steamboat
and then manually winch
ed up over 91 metres (298.6 ft) on a tramway. An assessment made by Commander Brewis in 1912 recommended increasing the power of the light, adjusting the eastern auxiliary light, renovating the dwellings, repairing the tramway and supplying steam winches. However, this recommendation was to be followed very slowly and partially. However, in July 1915 the lighthouse was transferred to the control of the federal government, and it took eight more years until in 1923 the light source was finally replaced with a 55 millimetres (2.2 in) incandescent vapourised kerosene mantle. In January 1936 plans were prepared for electrification of the light. However, it is not clear if this change was made, as in the same year it was decided to replace the tower.
The new tower was a 6 metres (19.7 ft) square structure, with an adjoined power house. The tower was topped by a cantilever
ed circular balcony and a small circular lantern. At the same time the residences and service buildings were also replaced with timber framed asbestos clad structures. The new lighthouse was made operative with electric power in 1938. However, from undetermined reasons this lighthouse was to be short-lived, surviving only 26 years more to be replaced by a new structure in 1964.
, Point Danger Light
, New Burnett Heads Light
, Fitzroy Island Light
, Point Cartwright Light
and Archer Point Light
. In 1968 the light source was converted to 240V AC operation.
Since its construction and until 1978, Cape Capricorn lightstation served as the base radio station for a network of lighthouses in the area including North Reef Light
, Lady Elliot Island Light
, Pine Islet Light
and Dent Island Light
. On 18 December 1978 this role was transferred to Bustard Head Light
.
On 8 December 1983, the House Standing Committee on Expenditure tabled its report on the inquiry into lightstations entitled "Lighthouses: Do we keep the keepers?". The report recommended the demanning of 24 lightstation, including Cape Capricorn. In 1988 the station was finally converted to solar power
(and presumably demanned). The lantern has been removed, and a self-contained beacon was installed. Ownership of the station was transferred to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in 1991, back to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority
in 1995 and then to the State government in July 1997, which employs a caretaker at one of the residences. The rest are privately leased.
tungsten-halogen lamp, fed from diesel alternators.
The keeper's residence includes two cottages, timber framed, clad with asbestos cement
sheets and timber batten
s, painted white. The gable
d roofs are clad with corrugated iron, painted green. Other similarly constructed structures at the premises include a store, the old powerhouse and a winch house, all mounted on a high concrete foundations. The new powerhouse, constructed in 1964, is constructed of concrete blocks, painted white. It includes a large main room and an adjoined porch, both with projecting flat concrete roofs. There are also other sheds of small to medium size on the site, mostly timber framed with corrugated iron walls and roof.
Also notable is the still functional rail line, a cement pathway with steel rails going down to the beach. It includes a trolley of timber on a metal base, a metal rope, a winch and a motor. There is also a cement helipad
close-by.
There are also some remains in the area. These include two nonoperational auxiliary leading lights
, the western light timber-framed clad with fibro
and the eastern one made of concrete. The remains of the previous lighthouses are in a gully north of the station
. The site manager is the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
, as part of the Curtis Island National Park
. The island is accessible only by boat or helicopter. The tower is closed to the public,
but accommodations are available at the site, including two homesteads and two cabins. The original lens used is currently on display at the Townsville Maritime Museum.
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....
located on Cape Capricorn
Cape Capricorn
Cape Capricorn is a coastal headland in central Queensland, Australia, at It was named by Captain Cook when he passed on 25 May 1770, since he found it to located on the Tropic of Capricorn. The modern surveyed location of its endpoint is just slightly north of the tropic.-Lighthouse:A lighthouse...
, a coastal headland
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
on the northeast point of Curtis Island, in Central Queensland
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...
, 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...
. The lighthouse, constructed in 1964, is the third at this site, following 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...
lighthouse constructed in 1875 and a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
lighthouse constructed around 1937.
First lighthouse
The colony of Queensland was formed with the signing of Letters PatentLetters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
by Queen Victoria in 1859. The need for pilot assistance accessing the mouth of Fitzroy River
Fitzroy River (Queensland)
The Fitzroy River lies in Queensland, Australia. Its catchment covers an area of 142,665 square kilometres, making it the largest river catchment flowing to the eastern coast of Australia. The river is formed by the joining of the Mackenzie and Dawson rivers at Duaringa. The catchment stretches...
and the Port of Rockhampton
Rockhampton
Rockhampton can refer to:* Rockhampton, Queensland is a city in Queensland, Australia* Rockhampton City, Queensland, a suburb of Rockhampton, Queensland* Electoral district of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia...
necessitates the construction of a pilot station on Curtis Island. The first permanent station was established on Cape Capricorn as early as 1861. Though it was moved to Grassy Hill
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:...
three years later, the need for a lighthouse at Cape Capricorn remained a priority.
Plans for a lighthouse and cottages were prepared in early 1874 by the office of F. D. G. Stanley, Colonial Architect of Queensland, with an estimated cost of £1460 for the lighthouse and cottages. The lighthouse, a typical Queensland timber framed and iron 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....
structure, was to be prefabricated and built in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. However, the only response to the first tender was an overpriced offer of £2850. The second tender was more successful, the winning offer being by James Midson for £1046/10/-. The construction was completed some time in October 1874, and an additional contract was granted to Midson for the erection of the structures on the site for the sum of £753. Quite remarkably, a last minute change in the order of the lantern from England meant that no lamp room was ordered. An urgent request for an additional £180 was made by Stanley for construction of a lamp room from timber framing with iron plating, instead of the planned cast iron one. The lighthouse was operational around late July 1875. The original light source was an oil wick burner.
An 1895 survey also reports two additional auxiliary lights on Cape Capricorn, to the north and southeast of the main lighthouse.
Supplying the station was done from Rockhampton, and was quite a difficult task. Supplies were brought to the base of the hill by steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
and then manually winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
ed up over 91 metres (298.6 ft) on a tramway. An assessment made by Commander Brewis in 1912 recommended increasing the power of the light, adjusting the eastern auxiliary light, renovating the dwellings, repairing the tramway and supplying steam winches. However, this recommendation was to be followed very slowly and partially. However, in July 1915 the lighthouse was transferred to the control of the federal government, and it took eight more years until in 1923 the light source was finally replaced with a 55 millimetres (2.2 in) incandescent vapourised kerosene mantle. In January 1936 plans were prepared for electrification of the light. However, it is not clear if this change was made, as in the same year it was decided to replace the tower.
Second lighthouse
In 1936 the Commonwealth government decided to replace the tower with a new concrete block lighthouse, and plans were prepared in September 1937.The new tower was a 6 metres (19.7 ft) square structure, with an adjoined power house. The tower was topped by a cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed circular balcony and a small circular lantern. At the same time the residences and service buildings were also replaced with timber framed asbestos clad structures. The new lighthouse was made operative with electric power in 1938. However, from undetermined reasons this lighthouse was to be short-lived, surviving only 26 years more to be replaced by a new structure in 1964.
Third lighthouse
Plans for a new powerhouse and lighthouse were made in January 1962 and July 1963 respectively. By 1964 construction was complete and the new light was operational. It was the first of a group of seven concrete towers erected between 1964 and 1979, followed by New Caloundra LightNew Caloundra Light
New Caloundra Light, also known as New Caloundra Head Light, is an inactive lighthouse located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. It stands on Canberra Terrace near downtown Caloundra. The lighthouse was active from 1968 to 1992...
, Point Danger Light
Point Danger Light
Point Danger Light, also known as the Captain Cook Memorial Light, is an active lighthouse located on Point Danger, a headland between Coolangatta, Queensland and Tweed Heads, New South Wales, marking the border between New South Wales and Queensland, Australia...
, New Burnett Heads Light
New Burnett Heads Light
The New Burnett Heads Light, also known as South Head Light, is an active lighthouse standing on the south side of the Burnett River entrance, in Burnett Heads, Queensland, Australia...
, Fitzroy Island Light
Fitzroy Island Light
Fitzroy Island Light is an inactive lighthouse on Fitzroy Island, a continental island southeast of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It was only active between 1973 and 1992, though a light station at the area is active since 1926 and to these days...
, Point Cartwright Light
Point Cartwright Light
Point Cartwright Light is an active lighthouse located on Point Cartwright, a point near the mouth of the Mooloolah River, in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia...
and Archer Point Light
Archer Point Light
Archer Point Light is an active lighthouse located on Archer Point, a conical, , grassy headland, about southeast of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia. Originally an 1883 timber frame lighthouse, covered with galvanised iron, it was replaced in 1975 with a modern square concrete equipment room,...
. In 1968 the light source was converted to 240V AC operation.
Since its construction and until 1978, Cape Capricorn lightstation served as the base radio station for a network of lighthouses in the area including North Reef Light
North Reef Light
North Reef Light is an active lighthouse located on North Reef, a planar reef, about northeast of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse was constructed on a migratory patch of sand inside a fringing coral reef, which over the years disappeared and reappeared, as sand was washed away...
, Lady Elliot Island Light
Lady Elliot Island Light
Lady Elliot Island Light is an active lighthouse located on Lady Elliot Island, the southern-most coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, north-east of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse is located on the western side of the island...
, Pine Islet Light
Pine Islet Light
Pine Islet Light, also known as Percy Isles Light, is an active lighthouse located at Pine Islet, a small islet belonging to the Percy Isles group of the Northumberland Islands, about southeast of Mackay, Queensland, Australia...
and Dent Island Light
Dent Island Light
Dent Island Light is an active lighthouse located on Dent Island, a small island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Dent Island is part of the Whitsunday Group of the Whitsunday Islands...
. On 18 December 1978 this role was transferred to Bustard Head Light
Bustard Head Light
Bustard Head Light is an active lighthouse located on the southeast tip of Bustard Head, a headland, about northwest of 1770, Queensland, Australia, within the Eurimbula National Park. Built in 1868, it is the second oldest lightstation in Queensland, following Cape Moreton Light, and the first to...
.
On 8 December 1983, the House Standing Committee on Expenditure tabled its report on the inquiry into lightstations entitled "Lighthouses: Do we keep the keepers?". The report recommended the demanning of 24 lightstation, including Cape Capricorn. In 1988 the station was finally converted to solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
(and presumably demanned). The lantern has been removed, and a self-contained beacon was installed. Ownership of the station was transferred to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in 1991, back to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority is responsible, on behalf of the Commonwealth Government of Australia, for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations...
in 1995 and then to the State government in July 1997, which employs a caretaker at one of the residences. The rest are privately leased.
Current display
The light characteristic shown is one flash every five seconds, white/red depending on sector (Fl.W.R. 5s). White is shown 005°-307°, visible for 16 nautical miles (29.6 km). Red is shown 307°-005°, visible for 12 nautical miles (22.2 km). The light source is a 120 VoltVolt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
tungsten-halogen lamp, fed from diesel alternators.
Structures
The current tower is 6.4 metres (21 ft) high, constructed of concrete blocks in a square plan with chamfered corners, with a small porch at the base. A round gallery surrounded with a metal rail overhangs the tower. A self-contained beacon is installed on top of the gallery.The keeper's residence includes two cottages, timber framed, clad with asbestos cement
Fiber cement siding
Fiber cement siding is a building material used to cover the exterior of a building in both commercial and domestic applications.-Usage:...
sheets and timber batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
s, painted white. The gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roofs are clad with corrugated iron, painted green. Other similarly constructed structures at the premises include a store, the old powerhouse and a winch house, all mounted on a high concrete foundations. The new powerhouse, constructed in 1964, is constructed of concrete blocks, painted white. It includes a large main room and an adjoined porch, both with projecting flat concrete roofs. There are also other sheds of small to medium size on the site, mostly timber framed with corrugated iron walls and roof.
Also notable is the still functional rail line, a cement pathway with steel rails going down to the beach. It includes a trolley of timber on a metal base, a metal rope, a winch and a motor. There is also a cement helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
close-by.
There are also some remains in the area. These include two nonoperational auxiliary leading lights
Leading lights
Leading lights are a pair of light beacons, used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; and may also be used for position fixing. At night, the lights are a form of leading line that can be used for safe navigation...
, the western light timber-framed clad with fibro
Fibro
Fibro, the shortened form of "Fibrous Cement" - or "Fibrous Asbestos Cement", FAC, is a building material made of compressed fibres cemented into rigid sheets....
and the eastern one made of concrete. The remains of the previous lighthouses are in a gully north of the station
Site operation and visiting
The light is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety AuthorityAustralian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority is responsible, on behalf of the Commonwealth Government of Australia, for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations...
. The site manager is the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, or QPWS, is a sub-section of the Environmental Protection Agency within the Queensland government. Its primary concern is with the development and maintenance of national parks within Queensland.-External links:*...
, as part of the Curtis Island National Park
Curtis Island National Park
Curtis Island is an island that contains Curtis Island National Park. It is in Queensland, Australia, 474 km northwest of Brisbane and 40 kilometres southeast of Rockhampton....
. The island is accessible only by boat or helicopter. The tower is closed to the public,
but accommodations are available at the site, including two homesteads and two cabins. The original lens used is currently on display at the Townsville Maritime Museum.