Goods Island Light
Encyclopedia
Goods Island Light is an active lighthouse
located on the highest point of Goods Island (Palilag), 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.
frame
clad
with corrugated iron, which includes, in order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, Grassy Hill Light
, itself, Bay Rock Light
, Old Caloundra Light
, North Point Hummock Light (demolished), Gatcombe Head Light (demolished) and Bulwer Island Light
. The lighthouse was constructed entirely by government workers, rather than a private contractor, and it is believed to be unique in this sense among Queensland lighthouses. The original apparatus was a fourth order dioptric with a totally reflecting glass mirror.
In 1894 telegraphic communication with Thursday Island was established. Following the Federation of Australia
, the station was transferred to the hands of the Commonwealth of Australia.
During World War II
the island was taken over by the Royal Australian Navy
which constructed defensive batteries around the island.
In 1973 the lighthouse was automated. In 1988 it was transferred to solar power
.
frame clad
with white painted corrugated iron. It is topped by a red zinc done. Access to the tower is through concrete steps and a small corrugated iron entryway with a convex corrugated iron roof.
Also part of the station is the front light, a 7 feet (2.1 m) white hut on a rock platform below. The lighthouse is located 505 meters at 199° from this front light.
Also in the premises are a timber storage shed a timber fibro-cement
clad lighthouse keeper
's cottage, now in ruins. Both of them are white with green painted galvanized iron roofs.
The front light shows white and red flashes every two and a half seconds (Fl.W.R. 2.5s). The red flashes are visible 085°-180° for 7 nautical miles (13 km). The white flashes are visible at 180°-085° for 10 nautical miles (18.5 km). The front light is obscured by Hammond Island and by Goods Islands itself.
. The island is accessible only by boat, and both the site and the tower 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 the highest point of Goods Island (Palilag), an island in 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...
, belonging to 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 serves as the rear light of the Goods Island Range, pointing out the entrance to Normanby Sound.
History
The first navigation aid on Goods Island was a signaling station, established 1877. In 1882 pearl fishers operating in Torres Strait requested that a light be established at the western entrance to the straight. Their request was accepted by George Heath, chairman of the Queensland Marine Board, who dictated the location of Goods Island. A temporary light installed on the signalman's quarters was finally replaced by the lighthouse, constructed in 1886. It was the third in a group of eight lighthouses in Queensland made of hardwoodHardwood
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, in order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, Grassy Hill Light
Grassy Hill Light
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.-History:...
, itself, 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 lighthouse was constructed entirely by government workers, rather than a private contractor, and it is believed to be unique in this sense among Queensland lighthouses. The original apparatus was a fourth order dioptric with a totally reflecting glass mirror.
In 1894 telegraphic communication with Thursday Island was established. Following the Federation of Australia
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
, the station was transferred to the hands of the Commonwealth of Australia.
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...
the island was taken over by the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
which constructed defensive batteries around the island.
In 1973 the lighthouse was automated. In 1988 it was transferred 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 about 18 feet (5.5 m) high. It is conical in shape, made of hardwoodHardwood
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 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 white painted corrugated iron. It is topped by a red zinc done. Access to the tower is through concrete steps and a small corrugated iron entryway with a convex corrugated iron roof.
Also part of the station is the front light, a 7 feet (2.1 m) white hut on a rock platform below. The lighthouse is located 505 meters at 199° from this front light.
Also in the premises are a timber storage shed a timber fibro-cement
Fibro
Fibro, the shortened form of "Fibrous Cement" - or "Fibrous Asbestos Cement", FAC, is a building material made of compressed fibres cemented into rigid sheets....
clad 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 cottage, now in ruins. Both of them are white with green painted galvanized iron roofs.
Display
The light characteristic shown is a quick-flashing white light (Q.W.), visible 064°-238° and 290°-295° for 11 nautical miles (20.4 km).The front light shows white and red flashes every two and a half seconds (Fl.W.R. 2.5s). The red flashes are visible 085°-180° for 7 nautical miles (13 km). The white flashes are visible at 180°-085° for 10 nautical miles (18.5 km). The front light is obscured by Hammond Island and by Goods Islands itself.
Operation and access
The site and the light are managed and 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.