Booby Island Light
Encyclopedia
Booby Island Light is an active lighthouse
located on Booby Island, an island
near the tip of Cape York Peninsula
, west of Prince of Wales Island, within the Endeavour Strait
, Queensland
, Australia
. It marks the western entrance to the navigation channel through the Torres Strait
. It was the last of the major lights to be constructed along the Queensland coast.
, which also constructed Sandy Cape Light
, Cape Bowling Green Light
, Cowan Cowan Point Light, Cape Capricorn Light
and Lady Elliot Island Light
. The light was first exhibited on 24 June 1890, and the total cost of construction was £6500. Residences for the lighthouse keeper
s were also constructed in 1890.
The original lens was a second order Chance Brothers
Fresnel lens
, with a focal radius if 800 millimetres (31.5 in), mounted on a rotating pedestal with mercury
bearings. The light source was an oil wick burner with an intensity of 20,000 cd
. In 1917 the light source was upgraded to a 85 millimetres (3.3 in) vaporised kerosene
mantle, with an intensity of 120,000 cd.
In 1961 a radio beacon was installed. In 1963 the lighthouse was converted to electricity. The light source at that time was a 120 Volt
1,000 Watt
tungsten-halogen lamp providing 1,000,000 cd and visible for 26 nautical miles (48.2 km). The light characteristic was one flash every four seconds (Fl.W. 4s). A tide gauge was installed in 1970.
In November 1991 the power source was converted to solar power
. The original lens and the pedestal were removed, the mercury drained, and the entire apparatus replaced with a modern rotating mechanism. The original apparatus now resides in the Thursday Island Museum. The battery
banks were installed in the ground floor of the tower. The light characteristic was changed to the current, one white flash every ten seconds (Fl.W. 10s), and it is visible for 20 nautical miles (37 km). The light was fully automated and demanned in 1992.
clad
with galvanised iron. The tower is topped by the original 10 in 1 in (3.07 m) diameter Chance Brothers
lantern. It is painted white, with red dome of sheet copper. The dome is topped by a rounded knob and a weather vane
.
The residences include four cottages, three for the resident lighthouse keeper
s and an additional relief quarters. The resident keeper residences were built in 1890, and then renovated twice, in the 1920s and 1960s. They are timber framed, clad with weatherboards and fibre cement
. Also associated with these quarters is a glasshouse, timber framed with external concrete block walls and a corrugated asbestos cement roof. The relief quarters, built in the late 1960s or early 1970s, are timber framed with external walls of asbestos sheeting and a roof of corrugated asbestos cement.
Other buildings in the station include a radio equipment building that doubles as an office, a power house with a fuel store, the tide gauge hut, the radio beacon transmitter building and a workshop. The radio equipment building is timber framed with external painted concrete block walls and corrugated asbestos cement roof. The power house and the fuel store are constructed of concrete blocks with a corrugated zinc sheeted roof. The power house houses three diesel alternator
s which provide power to the station. The tide gauge hut, constructed in 1970, is timber framed with fibre cement sheeting, a galvanised metal deck and an aluminium louvre mechanism. The radio beacon transmitter building, constructed in 1961, is built of concrete blocks with timber framed doors and aluminium hopper windows. Finally, the workshop is timber framed with firbe cement walls and corrugated asbestos cement roof.
. The site is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
. The location is accessible only by boat, and a special permit is required for landing. Both the tower and the location are closed to the public.
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 Booby Island, an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
near the tip of Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
, west of Prince of Wales Island, within the Endeavour Strait
Endeavour Strait
The Endeavour Strait is a strait running between the Australian mainland and Prince of Wales Island, in the extreme south of the Torres Strait...
, 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 marks the western entrance to the navigation channel through the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
. It was the last of the major lights to be constructed along the Queensland coast.
History
The colony of Queensland was formed in 1859. In 1862, the Queensland government appointed the first Portmaster, Commander George Poynter Heath. During the following years, several committees were held, but none of them recommended the erection of a lighthouse on Booby Island. It was Heath who first recommended the construction of such a lighthouse, at the Intercolonial Conference of Marine Departments in 1873, where a first order light was finally recommended by the delegates. However, this recommendation was not followed through, and it was only in August 1885 that Heath referred to the lighthouse again, as trade through the Torres Strait increased, and a traffic channel west of the Prince of Wales Island was established. Formal approval took four more years, and tenders for the lighthouse were called in April 1899. The accepted tender of £3329 was by the brothers John and Jacob Rooney of MaryboroughMaryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
, which also constructed Sandy Cape Light
Sandy Cape Light
Sandy Cape Light is an active lighthouse located on Sandy Cape, the most northern point on Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia. It stands about southwest of the northeastern tip of the island. It is the tallest lighthouse in Queensland. Built in 1870, it is the second major lighthouse to be built...
, Cape Bowling Green Light
Cape Bowling Green Light
Cape Bowling Green Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Bowling Green, a lengthy headland ending with a long low sandspit, about from Ayr, Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse is at the end of the headland, near the base of the sandspit. The first lighthouse at the location, established...
, Cowan Cowan Point Light, Cape Capricorn Light
Cape Capricorn Light
Cape Capricorn Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Capricorn, a coastal headland on the northeast point of Curtis Island, in Central Queensland, Australia...
and Lady Elliot Island Light
Lady Elliot Island Light
Lady Elliot Island Light is an active lighthouse located on Lady Elliot Island, the southern-most coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, north-east of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse is located on the western side of the island...
. The light was first exhibited on 24 June 1890, and the total cost of construction was £6500. Residences for the lighthouse 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 were also constructed in 1890.
The original lens was a second order Chance Brothers
Chance Brothers
Chance Brothers and Company was a glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands , in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology....
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...
, with a focal radius if 800 millimetres (31.5 in), mounted on a rotating pedestal with mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
bearings. The light source was an oil wick burner with an intensity of 20,000 cd
Candela
The candela is the SI base unit of luminous intensity; that is, power emitted by a light source in a particular direction, weighted by the luminosity function . A common candle emits light with a luminous intensity of roughly one candela...
. In 1917 the light source was upgraded to a 85 millimetres (3.3 in) vaporised 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...
mantle, with an intensity of 120,000 cd.
In 1961 a radio beacon was installed. In 1963 the lighthouse was converted to electricity. The light source at that time was a 120 Volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
1,000 Watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
tungsten-halogen lamp providing 1,000,000 cd and visible for 26 nautical miles (48.2 km). The light characteristic was one flash every four seconds (Fl.W. 4s). A tide gauge was installed in 1970.
In November 1991 the power source 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...
. The original lens and the pedestal were removed, the mercury drained, and the entire apparatus replaced with a modern rotating mechanism. The original apparatus now resides in the Thursday Island Museum. The battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
banks were installed in the ground floor of the tower. The light characteristic was changed to the current, one white flash every ten seconds (Fl.W. 10s), and it is visible for 20 nautical miles (37 km). The light was fully automated and demanned in 1992.
Structures
The lighthouse is conical, 18 metres (59.1 ft) high, made of timber frameTimber 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 galvanised iron. The tower is topped by the original 10 in 1 in (3.07 m) diameter Chance Brothers
Chance Brothers
Chance Brothers and Company was a glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands , in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology....
lantern. It is painted white, with red dome of sheet copper. The dome is topped by a rounded knob and a weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
.
The residences include four cottages, three for the resident lighthouse 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 and an additional relief quarters. The resident keeper residences were built in 1890, and then renovated twice, in the 1920s and 1960s. They are timber framed, clad with weatherboards and fibre cement
Fibre cement
Fibre cement is often applied in building and construction materials, mainly in roofing and facade products because of its strength and durability.-Material description:...
. Also associated with these quarters is a glasshouse, timber framed with external concrete block walls and a corrugated asbestos cement roof. The relief quarters, built in the late 1960s or early 1970s, are timber framed with external walls of asbestos sheeting and a roof of corrugated asbestos cement.
Other buildings in the station include a radio equipment building that doubles as an office, a power house with a fuel store, the tide gauge hut, the radio beacon transmitter building and a workshop. The radio equipment building is timber framed with external painted concrete block walls and corrugated asbestos cement roof. The power house and the fuel store are constructed of concrete blocks with a corrugated zinc sheeted roof. The power house houses three diesel alternator
Diesel generator
A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....
s which provide power to the station. The tide gauge hut, constructed in 1970, is timber framed with fibre cement sheeting, a galvanised metal deck and an aluminium louvre mechanism. The radio beacon transmitter building, constructed in 1961, is built of concrete blocks with timber framed doors and aluminium hopper windows. Finally, the workshop is timber framed with firbe cement walls and corrugated asbestos cement roof.
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...
. The site is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, or QPWS, is a sub-section of the Environmental Protection Agency within the Queensland government. Its primary concern is with the development and maintenance of national parks within Queensland.-External links:*...
. The location is accessible only by boat, and a special permit is required for landing. Both the tower and the location are closed to the public.