Sugarloaf Point Light
Encyclopedia
Sugarloaf Point Light, also known as Seal Rocks Lighthouse, is an active lighthouse
located on Sugarloaf Point, a point about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southeast of Seal Rocks
, New South Wales
, Australia
. It guards Seal Rocks, a treacherous rock formation to the south. It is the first lighthouse designed by James Barnet
. It is also one of only two towers in Australia with an external stairway
.
, which was used to land the 1800 tonnes (1,771.6 LT) of supplies and materials required for the construction. Construction was completed in 1875 and the light was first lit on December 1, 1875.
The original lens, still present, is a first order Chance Bros. sixteen-panel Fresnel lens
dioptric. The original light source was a kerosene
lamp with a light intensity of 122,000 cd. This was upgraded in April 1923 to a carbide lamp
with an intensity of 174,000 cd.
In June 1966 the light was converted to electricity and the intensity raised to 1,000,000 cd. and automated in 1987, though a caretaker remained on the site until 2006-2007, when the residence was renovated to be used for tourist accommodations. The last caretaker was Mark Sheriff, who was previously stationed in Green Cape Lighthouse
.
The current light is a 120V 1,000 W quartz halogen lamp, powered by mains electricity
with a backup diesel generator
. The light intensity is 780,000 cd, and the light characteristic shown is flashing white with a cycle of 7.5 seconds. Also showing is an additional fixed red light, with a similar 120V 1,000 W quartz halogen lamp, visible to the south, over Seal Rocks and other dangers. This secondary light is positioned at a lower height, and was originally green, changed to red in the 1980s.
stairway reaches this floor, followed by internal iron stairs. The total height to the lantern room is 6.7 metres (22 ft).
On top of the tower is a bluestone
gallery, the projecting part being supported by concrete corbel
s, a Barnet design hallmark. The gallery has an elegant black gunmetal
railing, another Barnet hallmark. The lantern roof is a copper dome.
A brick-paved walkway surrounds the base of the tower, enclosed by a 4 feet (1.2 m) high cement-rendered brick wall, painted white.
Near the lighthouse are the original Head Keeper
's cottage and two semi-detached Assistant Keepers' cottages, designed by Barnet in 1875. The cottages were renovated in 2006 and are now used for overnight accommodations.
North of the tower is a flag semaphore
signal station. Next to it is the original concrete flagstaff base which retains some of the original iron fastenings. The flagstaff itself is recent.
Other structures in the complex include a gabled roofed generator shed behind the Head Keeper's cottage, a painted brick workshop room behind the shed, a paint store to the north of the Assistant Keepers' cottages, and a garage.
, while the structures are maintained and operated by the Land and Property Management Authority
. Sugarloaf Point is part of Myall Lakes National Park
, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service
. An unpaved road leads to the location and parking is provided. Although the tower is closed to the public, a nearby lookout provides good views.
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 Sugarloaf Point, a point about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southeast of Seal Rocks
Seal Rocks, New South Wales
Seal Rocks is a small coastal settlement in the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area, in the Mid North Coast/Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia, north-north-east of Sydney...
, 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 guards Seal Rocks, a treacherous rock formation to the south. It is the first lighthouse designed 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...
. It is also one of only two towers in Australia with an external stairway
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
.
History
The first recorded recommendation for building a lighthouse to guard Seal Rocks was made by a committee of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1863. Original intentions were to place the lighthouse on the Rocks, but because of access difficulties the location finally chosen in 1873 was Sugarloaf Point. The lighthouse was designed by James Barnet, the New South Wales Colonial Architect of the time. Tenders were called in 1874. Construction required building a 1500 feet (457.2 m) long jettyJetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
, which was used to land the 1800 tonnes (1,771.6 LT) of supplies and materials required for the construction. Construction was completed in 1875 and the light was first lit on December 1, 1875.
The original lens, still present, is a first order Chance Bros. sixteen-panel 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...
dioptric. The original light source was a kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
lamp with a light intensity of 122,000 cd. This was upgraded in April 1923 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....
with an intensity of 174,000 cd.
In June 1966 the light was converted to electricity and the intensity raised to 1,000,000 cd. and automated in 1987, though a caretaker remained on the site until 2006-2007, when the residence was renovated to be used for tourist accommodations. The last caretaker was Mark Sheriff, who was previously stationed in Green Cape Lighthouse
Green Cape Lighthouse
The Green Cape Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at the tip of Green Cape, a headland forming the northern boundary of Disaster Bay, in southern New South Wales, Australia. It is the southernmost lighthouse in New South Wales and Australia's first lighthouse built in concrete. At it is also the...
.
The current light is a 120V 1,000 W quartz halogen lamp, powered by 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...
with a backup diesel generator
Diesel generator
A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....
. The light intensity is 780,000 cd, and the light characteristic shown is flashing white with a cycle of 7.5 seconds. Also showing is an additional fixed red light, with a similar 120V 1,000 W quartz halogen lamp, visible to the south, over Seal Rocks and other dangers. This secondary light is positioned at a lower height, and was originally green, changed to red in the 1980s.
Structures
The lighthouse is built bricks, cement rendered, and painted white. The tower has two stories, divided by a concrete floor, the fuel store being located in the ground level. An outside 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...
stairway reaches this floor, followed by internal iron stairs. The total height to the lantern room is 6.7 metres (22 ft).
On top of the tower is a bluestone
Bluestone
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...
gallery, the projecting part being supported by concrete 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, a Barnet design hallmark. The gallery has an elegant black gunmetal
Gunmetal
Gunmetal, also known as yellow brass in the United States, is a type of bronze – an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc. Originally used chiefly for making guns, gunmetal was eventually superseded by steel...
railing, another Barnet hallmark. The lantern roof is a copper dome.
A brick-paved walkway surrounds the base of the tower, enclosed by a 4 feet (1.2 m) high cement-rendered brick wall, painted white.
Near the lighthouse are the original Head 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...
's cottage and two semi-detached Assistant Keepers' cottages, designed by Barnet in 1875. The cottages were renovated in 2006 and are now used for overnight accommodations.
North of the tower is a flag semaphore
Flag semaphore
Semaphore Flags is the system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position...
signal station. Next to it is the original concrete flagstaff base which retains some of the original iron fastenings. The flagstaff itself is recent.
Other structures in the complex include a gabled roofed generator shed behind the Head Keeper's cottage, a painted brick workshop room behind the shed, a paint store to the north of the Assistant Keepers' cottages, and a garage.
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...
, while the structures are maintained and operated by the Land and Property Management Authority
Land and Property Management Authority
The News South Wales Land and Property Information, a division of the Department of Finance and Services in the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for land titles, property information, valuation, surveying, and mappping and spatial information in New South Wales.The division is led by...
. Sugarloaf Point is part of Myall Lakes National Park
Myall Lakes National Park
Myall Lakes National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, northeast of Sydney. It surrounds the scenic Myall Lakes, and includes Broughton Island.-See also:* Protected areas of New South Wales...
, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service
National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is part of the Office of Environment and Heritage - the main government conservation agency in New South Wales, Australia....
. An unpaved road leads to the location and parking is provided. Although the tower is closed to the public, a nearby lookout provides good views.
See also
- List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Australia