Grassy Hill Light
Encyclopedia
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
.
James Cook
landing in 1770. Cooktown was established in October 1873 to accommodate for the Palmer River
gold rush
, and became a thriving port in the 1880s. The first lights in and out of the port were leading lights
set on sheds on the wharves. A signal staff was erected on Grassy Hill in 1874 to announce incoming ships, and a cottage was constructed for the signal staff operator in 1878-79. By 1882 a temporary light was set on the hill. In 1883 and 1884, George Poynter Heath, Portmaster of Queensland and Chairman of the Queensland Marine Board at that time, made two reports to the parliament, recommending that the temporary light be replaced with a permanent building and a proper apparatus.
Grassy Hill Light was finally constructed in 1886. It was the second in a group of eight lighthouses in Queensland made of hardwood
frame
clad
with corrugated iron, which includes, by order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, itself, Goods Island Light
, Bay Rock Light
, Old Caloundra Light
, North Point Hummock Light (demolished), Gatcombe Head Light (demolished) and Bulwer Island Light
. The apparatus was a 4th Order fixed Chance Bros Dioptric apparatus, and Heath himself supervised its installation in September 1886. The light source was a kerosene lamp
. The light keeper resided in the existing cottage and also maintained a signal staff.
In 1900 a new cottage was constructed for the light keeper. In 1912 a report recommended that the lighthouse be automated, leaving the keeper only the signal duties. However, this recommendation was not to be taken for some time. In 1913 a wireless station was installed nearby and in 1915 the light, alone with all other coastal lights, was transferred to the control of the Commonwealth government. It was only in 1927 the lighthouse was finally automated, the light source was changed to an acetylene gas burner, and the station was demanned. The keeper's house and signal staff were destroyed about that time.
During World War II
, from early 1942 to February 1945, a radar station was operated by the 56 Radar Unit, RAAF near the lighthouse. An imitation lighthouse keeper's cottage was constructed for camouflage purposes, and the defensive installations surrounded the station. All structures were removed after the war.
In 1970 a sandstone cairn
was placed at the summit of the hill to commemorate the bi-centenary of Cook's survey from the summit.
Control of the lighthouse remained in the hands of the Commonwealth until November 1987, when it was transferred back to the Queensland government, with Queensland Department of Transport operating the light, Cook Shire Council as trustees for the reserve, and local volunteers maintaining the tower.
In 1993 the lighthouse was converted to solar power
.
The tower is topped by a balcony supported on timber brackets which has a lightweight balustrade. The cylindrical lantern sits above, capped with a hemispherical dome. Access to the light is via a timber stair. The tower is painted white, with the dome and the concrete base painted red.
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 Grassy Hill above Cooktown, 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...
, on the south side of the entrance to Endeavour River
Endeavour River
The Endeavour River on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia, was named in 1770 by Lt. James Cook, R.N., after he was forced to beach his ship, HM Bark Endeavour, for repairs in the river mouth, after damaging it on Endeavour Reef...
.
History
Grassy Hill was the site of LieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
landing in 1770. Cooktown was established in October 1873 to accommodate for the Palmer River
Palmer River
The Palmer River is a river southwest of Cooktown in northeastern Australia. It was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1872. The Palmer River flows west across Cape York to the Gulf of Carpentaria, via the Mitchell River...
gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
, and became a thriving port in the 1880s. The first lights in and out of the port were 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...
set on sheds on the wharves. A signal staff was erected on Grassy Hill in 1874 to announce incoming ships, and a cottage was constructed for the signal staff operator in 1878-79. By 1882 a temporary light was set on the hill. In 1883 and 1884, George Poynter Heath, Portmaster of Queensland and Chairman of the Queensland Marine Board at that time, made two reports to the parliament, recommending that the temporary light be replaced with a permanent building and a proper apparatus.
Grassy Hill Light was finally constructed in 1886. It was the second in a group of eight lighthouses in Queensland made of hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
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...
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....
with corrugated iron, which includes, by order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, itself, Goods Island Light
Goods Island Light
Goods Island Light is an active lighthouse located on the highest point of Goods Island , an island in the Torres Strait, belonging to Queensland, Australia. It serves as the rear light of the Goods Island Range, pointing out the entrance to Normanby Sound.-History:The first navigation aid on Goods...
, Bay Rock Light
Bay Rock Light
Bay Rock Light is an inactive lighthouse which used to be located on Bay Rock, a rocky islet northwest of Magnetic Island, about north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. First lit in 1886, it was automated in 1920 and deactivated in the 1980s. It was relocated in 1992 to the Townsville Maritime...
, Old Caloundra Light
Old Caloundra Light
Old Caloundra Light, also known as Old Caloundra Head Light or Cape Caloundra Light, is an inactive lighthouse located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest surviving building in Caloundra. The lighthouse was active between 1896 and 1968. The tower...
, North Point Hummock Light (demolished), Gatcombe Head Light (demolished) and Bulwer Island Light
Bulwer Island Light
Bulwer Island Light, also known as Bulwer Island Range Rear Light, is an inactive lighthouse that used to be located on Bulwer Island, in the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In 1983 it was moved to the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane....
. The apparatus was a 4th Order fixed Chance Bros Dioptric apparatus, and Heath himself supervised its installation in September 1886. The light source was a kerosene lamp
Kerosene lamp
The kerosene lamp is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel. This article refers to kerosene lamps that have a wick and a tall glass chimney. Kerosene lanterns that have a wick and a glass globe are related to kerosene lamps and are included here as well...
. The light keeper resided in the existing cottage and also maintained a signal staff.
In 1900 a new cottage was constructed for the light keeper. In 1912 a report recommended that the lighthouse be automated, leaving the keeper only the signal duties. However, this recommendation was not to be taken for some time. In 1913 a wireless station was installed nearby and in 1915 the light, alone with all other coastal lights, was transferred to the control of the Commonwealth government. It was only in 1927 the lighthouse was finally automated, the light source was changed to an acetylene gas burner, and the station was demanned. The keeper's house and signal staff were destroyed about that time.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, from early 1942 to February 1945, a radar station was operated by the 56 Radar Unit, RAAF near the lighthouse. An imitation lighthouse keeper's cottage was constructed for camouflage purposes, and the defensive installations surrounded the station. All structures were removed after the war.
In 1970 a sandstone cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
was placed at the summit of the hill to commemorate the bi-centenary of Cook's survey from the summit.
Control of the lighthouse remained in the hands of the Commonwealth until November 1987, when it was transferred back to the Queensland government, with Queensland Department of Transport operating the light, Cook Shire Council as trustees for the reserve, and local volunteers maintaining the tower.
In 1993 the lighthouse was 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...
.
Structure
The lighthouse is conical in form, about 6 metres (19.7 ft) high, constructed of timber clad with corrugated iron sheets, on a concrete base. It is about 3 metres (9.8 ft) diameter at the base. Small rectangular windows are set about mid height on the south and east sides. Entrance is through a small entry on the western side, with timber-framing, convex corrugated iron roof, and timber double doors.The tower is topped by a balcony supported on timber brackets which has a lightweight balustrade. The cylindrical lantern sits above, capped with a hemispherical dome. Access to the light is via a timber stair. The tower is painted white, with the dome and the concrete base painted red.