East Vernon Light
Encyclopedia
East Vernon Light is an active lighthouse
located on the water's edge at the south side of East Vernon Island, an island off the shore of the Northern Territory
, Australia
. The lighthouse guards the northeastern approach to Darwin
.
The Vernon Islands were named in 21 May 1818 by Phillip Parker King at the King Expedition of 1817
, honouring Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt.
The original lighthouse was constructed by the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service during the "Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses", between 1913 and 1920. It was a square skeletal tower with a lantern and a gallery, about 70 feet (21.3 m) high. The current red lighthouse was built on the same piles.
The light characteristic shown is a flash every five seconds, with a different color depending on the direction: white on 250°-042° and -094°, red on -088° and green on -105°. The light is obscured
elsewhere (Fl.W.R.G. 5s). The red and green lights are visible for 8 nautical miles (14.8 km) while the white light is visible for 11 nautical miles (20.4 km).
The site is accessible by boat and the tower is closed to the public. The light is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority
.
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 the water's edge at the south side of East Vernon Island, an island off the shore of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, 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 guards the northeastern approach to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
.
The Vernon Islands were named in 21 May 1818 by Phillip Parker King at the King Expedition of 1817
King expedition of 1817
Phillip Parker King's first exploring and surveying expedition departed Sydney on 22 December 1817 on board the cutter HMS Mermaid. On board were King, his two master's mates Frederick Bedwell and John Septimus Roe, the botanist Allan Cunningham, 12 seamen, 2 boys and the native Boongaree...
, honouring Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt.
The original lighthouse was constructed by the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service during the "Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses", between 1913 and 1920. It was a square skeletal tower with a lantern and a gallery, about 70 feet (21.3 m) high. The current red lighthouse was built on the same piles.
The light characteristic shown is a flash every five seconds, with a different color depending on the direction: white on 250°-042° and -094°, red on -088° and green on -105°. The light is obscured
elsewhere (Fl.W.R.G. 5s). The red and green lights are visible for 8 nautical miles (14.8 km) while the white light is visible for 11 nautical miles (20.4 km).
The site is accessible by boat and the tower is closed to the public. The light is operated by 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...
.