Flat Top Island Light
Encyclopedia
Flat Top Island Light is an inactive lighthouse
located on Flat Top Island, a small island off the entrance to Mackay harbor at the mouth of Pioneer River, about 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) east of Mackay
, Queensland
, Australia
. It used to mark the river entrance for shipping and the direction of the port, as well as highlighting close-by shoals at Shoalwater Point and a reef off Hay Point. At 6 metres (19.7 ft) from the ground to the lantern floor, it is the shortest of Queensland's timber framed iron clad lighthouses.
with galvanized iron plates. The foundation was 4 feet (1.2 m) deep and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, made of stone and concrete
. The lighthouse diameter is 11 in 3 in (3.43 m) at the bottom and 7 feet (2.1 m) at the top. The height of the tower is 20 feet (6 m) from the ground to the balcony, making it the shortest of the composite lighthouses ever built in Queensland. From the ground to the top the height reported on construction was 31 feet (9.4 m), with the light being shown at 23 feet (7 m). However, the height was no hindrance, as the focal height was 174 feet (53 m). The permanent light installed was a fixed fourth order dioptric and was visible for 19 nautical miles (35.2 km). It showed white light for directions clear of danger (except where obscured by the close-by Round Top Island) and red over danger. An additional red sector was later installed to show further dangerous locations. The lighthouse is currently painted white with a red dome.
In January 1918 the lighthouse was the only structure on the island and the only aid to navigation to survive the 1918 Mackay cyclone. The lighthouse was automated around 1920. In 1991, the light source was still an open flame acetylene gas burner.
The light was discontinued in March 2007 and it is currently conserved on site. The last light characteristic displayed was four flashes every twenty seconds, red and white depending on the direction (Fl.(4)W.R. 20s).
. The island is accessible only by boat. It is unclear whether public access to the site and tower are available.
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 Flat Top Island, a small island off the entrance to Mackay harbor at the mouth of Pioneer River, about 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) east of Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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 used to mark the river entrance for shipping and the direction of the port, as well as highlighting close-by shoals at Shoalwater Point and a reef off Hay Point. At 6 metres (19.7 ft) from the ground to the lantern floor, it is the shortest of Queensland's timber framed iron clad lighthouses.
History
Tenders for the construction of the lighthouse were called on February 1877, and the tender accepted on September of that year was by Archibald McIntyre. Construction commenced on December 1877 and complete on May 1878. However, the lighthouse was not officially lit, as the permanent apparatus was not available and a temporary one was used. The light was officially lit only on 27 December 1879 with the installation of the permanent apparatus. As typical for lighthouses of that period in Queensland, the tower is conical in shape, built of an internal timber frame, cladCladding (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....
with galvanized iron plates. The foundation was 4 feet (1.2 m) deep and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, made of stone and 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...
. The lighthouse diameter is 11 in 3 in (3.43 m) at the bottom and 7 feet (2.1 m) at the top. The height of the tower is 20 feet (6 m) from the ground to the balcony, making it the shortest of the composite lighthouses ever built in Queensland. From the ground to the top the height reported on construction was 31 feet (9.4 m), with the light being shown at 23 feet (7 m). However, the height was no hindrance, as the focal height was 174 feet (53 m). The permanent light installed was a fixed fourth order dioptric and was visible for 19 nautical miles (35.2 km). It showed white light for directions clear of danger (except where obscured by the close-by Round Top Island) and red over danger. An additional red sector was later installed to show further dangerous locations. The lighthouse is currently painted white with a red dome.
In January 1918 the lighthouse was the only structure on the island and the only aid to navigation to survive the 1918 Mackay cyclone. The lighthouse was automated around 1920. In 1991, the light source was still an open flame acetylene gas burner.
The light was discontinued in March 2007 and it is currently conserved on site. The last light characteristic displayed was four flashes every twenty seconds, red and white depending on the direction (Fl.(4)W.R. 20s).
Site operation and visiting
The lighthouse is currently inactive. Before that, it was 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 island is accessible only by boat. It is unclear whether public access to the site and tower are available.