Eborac Island Light
Encyclopedia
Eborac Island Light is an active lighthouse
on Eborac Island, a small rocky island in the Adolphus Channel
just off Cape York, the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula
, Far North Queensland
, Australia
. It guides ships into the coastal channel inside the Great Barrier Reef
. The concrete structure was built in 1921 and converted to solar power in 1990.
and southeastern portion of the Torres Strait
. The island is part of the Manar Group of the Torres Strait Islands
. It is visible just across from Cape York, the northernmost point on the Australian continent. Its native name is Dyāra.
on 8 August 1990.
The structure is a square concrete
hut, 3 metres (9.8 ft) from the base to the platform. It is topped by a Chance Brothers
7 in 11 in (2.41 m) diameter lantern room. Both are painted white, and the total height is 6 metres (19.7 ft). A Helipad
is nearby.
The current light characteristic is two flashes, separated by two seconds, every 10 seconds, colored white, red or green depending on direction (Fl.(2)W.R.G. 10s). White, visible for 11 nautical miles (20.4 km), is shown at 267°30′-281°, 288°30′-000° and 135°-252°. Green, visible for 8 nautical miles (14.8 km), is shown at 252°30′-267°30′ and 000°-135°. Red, visible for 8 nautical miles (14.8 km), is shown at the small middle sector, 281°-288°30′.
The apparatus is a Chance Brothers
400 mm focal length
Fresnel lens
. The light source is a solar powered 12 Volt
35 Watt
Halogen lamp
and the intensity is
3,700 cd
for the white light and 700 cd for the red and green ones.
. The island is accessible only by boat, and both the site and the tower are closed to the public. The lighthouse is, however, visible from the tip of Cape York, which can be reached by four wheel drive
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....
on Eborac Island, a small rocky island in the Adolphus Channel
Adolphus Channel
Adolphus Channel or Albany passage is a channel at the north eastern end of Cape York Peninsula, or south eastern portion of the Torres Strait in Queensland. It runs between the Albany Island to the south, and Mount Adolphus Island to the north...
just off Cape York, the northern 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...
, Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
, 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 guides ships into the coastal channel inside the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
. The concrete structure was built in 1921 and converted to solar power in 1990.
Eborac Island
Eborac Island is located in the Adolphus Channel, a channel at the northeastern end of Cape York PeninsulaCape 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...
and southeastern portion of 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...
. The island is part of the Manar Group of the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
. It is visible just across from Cape York, the northernmost point on the Australian continent. Its native name is Dyāra.
Structure and display
Eborac Island Light was established in 1921. It was converted to solar powerSolar 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...
on 8 August 1990.
The structure is a square 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...
hut, 3 metres (9.8 ft) from the base to the platform. It is topped by a 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....
7 in 11 in (2.41 m) diameter lantern room. Both are painted white, and the total height is 6 metres (19.7 ft). A Helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
is nearby.
The current light characteristic is two flashes, separated by two seconds, every 10 seconds, colored white, red or green depending on direction (Fl.(2)W.R.G. 10s). White, visible for 11 nautical miles (20.4 km), is shown at 267°30′-281°, 288°30′-000° and 135°-252°. Green, visible for 8 nautical miles (14.8 km), is shown at 252°30′-267°30′ and 000°-135°. Red, visible for 8 nautical miles (14.8 km), is shown at the small middle sector, 281°-288°30′.
The apparatus is a 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....
400 mm focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
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...
. The light source is a solar powered 12 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...
35 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:...
Halogen lamp
Halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen lamp, is an incandescent lamp with a tungsten filament contained within an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine. The chemical halogen cycle redeposits evaporated tungsten back on to the filament, extending the life of...
and the intensity is
3,700 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...
for the white light and 700 cd for the red and green ones.
Site operation and visiting
The site and the tower are 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, and both the site and the tower are closed to the public. The lighthouse is, however, visible from the tip of Cape York, which can be reached by four wheel drive
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...