Crowdy Head Light
Encyclopedia
Crowdy Head Light is an active lighthouse
located at Crowdy Head
, a headland
between Forster
and Port Macquarie, New South Wales
, Australia
. It is registered with the Register of the National Estate
.
, assisting ships navigating the entrance of the Manning River
.
The current lighthouse is the last of five lighthouses of similar design designed and built by James Barnet
in 1878-80, the other four being Fingal Head Light
, Clarence River Light
(now demolished), Tacking Point Lighthouse
and Richmond River Light
. The original light was a fixed white light from a 4th order catadioptric
apparatus with an intensity of less than 1,000 cd. It was manned by one keeper
.
In 1928 the apparatus was converted to a carbide lamp
(acetylene gas), with an intensity of 1,500 cd. At the same opportunity the light was automated.
The pilot station was closed in the 1960s. In 1972 the light was converted to mains electricity
.
In 2002 the 4th order Fresnel lens
was sold on eBay in 2002 for $20,000, and is now on display at Sea Girt Light
in New Jersey
.
platform supported by shaped bluestone corbel
s. It can be reached by a metal stair from the concrete slab which forms the ground floor and foundation for the buildings. The tower walls of stone bricks taper off from a thickness of 19 inches (48.3 cm) at the base to 14 inches (35.6 cm) at the top.
A porch, roofed just above door height, connects the tower to a rectangular annexe, which originally contained a duty room for the keeper and a store for fuel
All the external walls of the structure are cement rendered and painted white. The platform is surmounted by a simple metal domed lantern which encloses the optical apparatus. A handrail at the platform perimeter is of white painted cast iron standards with wrought iron rails.
(formerly NSW Maritime
), while the site is managed by the New South Wales Department of Lands.
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 at Crowdy Head
Crowdy Head
Crowdy Head is a headland on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, between Forster and Port Macquarie, overlooking the mouth of the Manning River. It is the site of Crowdy Head Light, a tall lighthouse built in 1878.-References:...
, a 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...
between Forster
Forster, New South Wales
Forster is a large coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about north-north-east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin, Tuncurry, which is the smaller of the two towns...
and Port Macquarie, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
. It is registered with the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
.
History
The first station in the area was a pilot station established in 1860 at nearby HarringtonHarrington, New South Wales
Harrington is a small fishing village located at the mouth of the Manning River in New South Wales, Australia . It is north-east of Taree on the Mid North Coast, and north east of the state capital, Sydney...
, assisting ships navigating the entrance of the Manning River
Manning River
The Manning River is a river in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia that flows through the Manning Valley. It is one of Australia's few large river systems not to be dammed for water supply purposes anywhere along its catchment...
.
The current lighthouse is the last of five lighthouses of similar design designed and built by James Barnet
James Barnet
James Johnstone Barnet was the Colonial Architect for New South Wales from 1862 - 1890.-Life and career:Barnet was born at Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland. The son of a builder, he was educated at the local high school...
in 1878-80, the other four being Fingal Head Light
Fingal Head Light
Fingal Head Light is an active lighthouse located at Fingal Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland about south of Point Danger, which marks the Queensland border.-History:...
, Clarence River Light
Clarence River Light
Clarence River Light, also known as Yamba Light or Clarence Head Light, is an active lighthouse located on Pilot Hill, a hill in Wooli Park, Yamba, New South Wales, Australia, south of the entrance of Clarence River. The current lighthouse was built in 1955, replacing a previous lighthouse built in...
(now demolished), Tacking Point Lighthouse
Tacking Point Lighthouse
Tacking Point Lighthouse is Australia's third oldest lighthouse. It was built on a rocky headland about 8 kilometres south of Port Macquarie in 1879 by Shepard and Mortley, to a design by the New South Wales government's architect of the time, James Barnet...
and Richmond River Light
Richmond River Light
Richmond River Light, also known as Ballina Head Light and Ballina Light, is an active lighthouse located at Ballina Head, a headland in Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. The headland is at the northern side of the entrance to the Richmond River...
. The original light was a fixed white light from a 4th order catadioptric
Catadioptric
A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses and curved mirrors . Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as search lights, headlamps, early lighthouse focusing systems, optical telescopes,...
apparatus with an intensity of less than 1,000 cd. It was manned by one 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...
.
In 1928 the apparatus was converted to a 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....
(acetylene gas), with an intensity of 1,500 cd. At the same opportunity the light was automated.
The pilot station was closed in the 1960s. In 1972 the light was converted to mains electricity
Mains electricity
Mains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. In the US, electric power is referred to by several names including household power, household electricity, powerline, domestic power, wall power, line power, AC power, city power, street power, and grid power...
.
In 2002 the 4th order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was sold on eBay in 2002 for $20,000, and is now on display at Sea Girt Light
Sea Girt Light
The Sea Girt Light is a lighthouse marking the inlet leading to the Wreck Pond in Sea Girt, New Jersey. It hosted the first radio beacon mounted in a shore installation in the United States.- History :...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Structure
The circular tower is capped by an oversailing bluestoneBluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
platform supported by shaped bluestone corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s. It can be reached by a metal stair from the concrete slab which forms the ground floor and foundation for the buildings. The tower walls of stone bricks taper off from a thickness of 19 inches (48.3 cm) at the base to 14 inches (35.6 cm) at the top.
A porch, roofed just above door height, connects the tower to a rectangular annexe, which originally contained a duty room for the keeper and a store for fuel
All the external walls of the structure are cement rendered and painted white. The platform is surmounted by a simple metal domed lantern which encloses the optical apparatus. A handrail at the platform perimeter is of white painted cast iron standards with wrought iron rails.
Site operation
The light is managed by Roads and Maritime ServicesRoads and Maritime Services
Roads and Maritime Services is an agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for building and maintaining road infrastructure and managing the day-to-day compliance and safety for roads and waterways....
(formerly NSW Maritime
NSW Maritime
NSW Maritime was an agency in the Government of New South Wales, Australia. NSW Maritime was the State Government Authority responsible for marine safety, regulation of commercial and recreational boating and oversight of port operations...
), while the site is managed by the New South Wales Department of Lands.
See also
- List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Australia