Old Caloundra Light
Encyclopedia
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 was relocated twice. In 1970 it was relocated from its original location to Woorim Park in Caloundra, and in 1999 it was returned to its original site on Canberra Terrace near downtown Caloundra, where it stands today.
and the Port of Brisbane
, the principal port of Queensland. The channel went from Caloundra Head along the eastern shore of Bribie Island. Although the channel became the most used entry channel into the port, it was only lit in 1896, when a pair of mobile leading lights
were established on Bribie Island, the Caloundra Head Light was constructed. Tenders were called in 1896, and the stations were constructed by day labor
. Materials for construction were shipped by barge
from Brisbane
. The lighthouse was the fifth in a group of eight lighthouses of its type, made of hardwood
frame
clad
with corrugated iron, which included, by order of establishment Little Sea Hill Light, Grassy Hill Light
, Goods Island Light
, Bay Rock Light
, itself, North Point Hummock Light (demolished), Gatcombe Head Light (demolished) and Bulwer Island Light
. Though the main purpose of the light was to mark the entrance to the North West Channel it also served as a harbour light.
The light was officially lit in September 1896. The original lens was a fourth order Chance Brothers
dioptric apparatus, and the original light source was a fixed kerosene lamp
. It was attended by a single lighthouse keeper
, living in a cottage constructed next to the light. The keeper's house also served as a postal office with telegraph service, and the light keeper also served as the telegraph office keeper. The telegraph service was discontinued in 1910, but telephone service was installed in 1912, so the post office remained at the site until 1934. The keeper's cottage also hosted the first Caloundra for a few months.
In 1910 the apparatus was upgraded to an incandescent vapour kerosene lamp
, also purchased from Chance Brothers
, the first of its type in Queensland. Its intensity was 1,400 cd
and it was visible for at least 22–25 nmi (40.7–46.3 ). By the 1930s the channel became even more popular and the lighthouse became a symbol of Caloundra, being used on maps, postcards and other promotional material.
During World War II
the lighthouse was controlled by the Royal Australian Navy
which also set up an observation post within the grounds. In 1942 it was converted to electricity from the mains
with a petrol operated engine-generator
as backup. The lighthouse was automated and demanned and the cottage was occupied by the Coastal Artillery
forces, which also attended the light.
After the war, the light remained unmanned, being connected to Brisbane by phone and attended from there. However, the connection to the mains proved quite unreliable, and a local, Charlie Bigg, was later engaged to attend the light from his nearby residence. The keeper's cottage was sold and moved down the hill in 1946. By 1950 the nearby ground were opened as a public park and the lighthouse was fenced off. The lighthouse's image continued to be used on promotional material as well crests and logos of local establishments.
Changes in the shipping industry in the 1960s caused an increase in large container ships, which made the channel even more important. In May 1966 permission was granted for the construction of New Caloundra Light
, a modern structure comprising a combined lighthouse, signal station and radar station. It was erected in 1967 right next to the old lighthouse. By 1968 it became fully operational and the old lighthouse was deactivated.
The lighthouse's last active power source was a 500 Watt
110 Volt
Philips
lamp, fed by the Mains electricity
. It showed a white light, with red showing in a sector. Having an intensity of 250,000 cd
the white light was visible for 19 nautical miles (35.2 km) while the red one was visible for 9 nautical miles (16.7 km). The light was shown at a focal height of 52 metres (170.6 ft).
In the late 1990s it became apparent that the tower's integrity was threatened. In order to get the tower funded it needed to be registered by the Queensland Heritage Register, but as it was not in its original location it was not eligible. As the new lighthouse was deactivated in 1992, relocating the lighthouse back to its original location became an option. After a two year campaign by local residents and the Caloundra City Council a lease on the original location was obtained and A$
50,000 were granted by the Council to facilitate the relocation. However, a relocation attempt made on 22 March 1999 was almost disastrous. Though the lantern was successfully detached, as the tower was lifted about a metre off the ground a section below the first floor broke away due to the brittleness of the timber studs and the lighthouse fell to the ground. As the move was insured, the lighthouse could be saved. The tower was subsequently braced and repaired, and on 11 June it was transported successfully to its original location, where a new base has been built over the original one. Later that year the tower and the lantern were then restored, and the lantern was placed back on the tower. It took more than a year to get the official certifications to open the lighthouse to the public, and the public open day was held on 31 March 2001.
The lighthouse's lease was held by the Caloundra City Council, which licensed it to the Lions Club of Caloundra and later to the Friends of the Caloundra Lighthouses Inc (which was established in 2007) until it expired in 2009. It was licensed to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council
in 2010. As of early 2011 the plans are to have both the old and the new lighthouses open to the public later in 2011.
zinc
annealed
iron. It is conical in form. The diameter at the based is 4.3 metres (14.1 ft), tapering to 2.26 metres (7.4 ft) at the top. The base of the tower is a round concrete slab placed over the original footing in the 1999 relocation. The entrance is through the northern side, through a small wooden framed entry with an arched corrugated iron roof. The tower also has four small rectangular windows, two at ground level and two at the middle. Inside the tower are two platforms, accessed by two flight of stepladder and hatchways in the floors. The tower exterior is painted white, with a red border on the entry door.
The tower is topped by the renovated metal lantern room, accessed via a lead lined hatchway in the floor. The base of the lantern room is made of steel plates, and a hatch door allows access to the gallery. The lantern room is domed, and the dome exterior is painted red and topped with a ventilator cowl. The gallery floor is timber, supported by cast iron brackets, and surrounded by a red painted lightweight tubular balustrade. A pedestal for the lens was installed in the lantern room, though the lens was removed.
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 in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
in South East
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest surviving building in Caloundra. The lighthouse was active between 1896 and 1968. The tower was relocated twice. In 1970 it was relocated from its original location to Woorim Park in Caloundra, and in 1999 it was returned to its original site on Canberra Terrace near downtown Caloundra, where it stands today.
Operation
The need for a lighthouse at Caloundra Head arose in 1879 with the sounding of the North West Channel, a deep water channel into Moreton BayMoreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
and the Port of Brisbane
Port of Brisbane
Port of Brisbane is the shipping port of Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia. It is located in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River on reclaimed land that was once called Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the river. It currently is the third busiest port in Australia and the nation's...
, the principal port of Queensland. The channel went from Caloundra Head along the eastern shore of Bribie Island. Although the channel became the most used entry channel into the port, it was only lit in 1896, when a pair of mobile 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...
were established on Bribie Island, the Caloundra Head Light was constructed. Tenders were called in 1896, and the stations were constructed by day labor
Day labor
Day labor is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work.-Types:Day laborers find work through three common routes....
. Materials for construction were shipped by barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The lighthouse was the fifth in a group of eight lighthouses of its type, 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 included, by 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:...
, 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...
, itself, 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....
. Though the main purpose of the light was to mark the entrance to the North West Channel it also served as a harbour light.
The light was officially lit in September 1896. The original lens was a fourth 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....
dioptric apparatus, and the original light source was a fixed 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...
. It was attended by a single 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...
, living in a cottage constructed next to the light. The keeper's house also served as a postal office with telegraph service, and the light keeper also served as the telegraph office keeper. The telegraph service was discontinued in 1910, but telephone service was installed in 1912, so the post office remained at the site until 1934. The keeper's cottage also hosted the first Caloundra for a few months.
In 1910 the apparatus was upgraded to an incandescent vapour kerosene lamp
Gas mantle
An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating bright white light when heated by a flame. The name refers to its original heat source, existing gas lights, which filled the streets of Europe and North America in the late 19th century, mantle referring to the...
, also purchased from 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....
, the first of its type in Queensland. Its intensity was 1,400 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...
and it was visible for at least 22–25 nmi (40.7–46.3 ). By the 1930s the channel became even more popular and the lighthouse became a symbol of Caloundra, being used on maps, postcards and other promotional material.
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 lighthouse was controlled 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 also set up an observation post within the grounds. In 1942 it was converted to electricity from the mains
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 petrol operated engine-generator
Engine-generator
An engine-generator is the combination of an electrical generator and an engine mounted together to form a single piece of equipment. This combination is also called an engine-generator set or a gen-set...
as backup. The lighthouse was automated and demanned and the cottage was occupied by the Coastal Artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
forces, which also attended the light.
After the war, the light remained unmanned, being connected to Brisbane by phone and attended from there. However, the connection to the mains proved quite unreliable, and a local, Charlie Bigg, was later engaged to attend the light from his nearby residence. The keeper's cottage was sold and moved down the hill in 1946. By 1950 the nearby ground were opened as a public park and the lighthouse was fenced off. The lighthouse's image continued to be used on promotional material as well crests and logos of local establishments.
Changes in the shipping industry in the 1960s caused an increase in large container ships, which made the channel even more important. In May 1966 permission was granted for the construction of New Caloundra Light
New Caloundra Light
New Caloundra Light, also known as New Caloundra Head Light, is an inactive lighthouse located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. It stands on Canberra Terrace near downtown Caloundra. The lighthouse was active from 1968 to 1992...
, a modern structure comprising a combined lighthouse, signal station and radar station. It was erected in 1967 right next to the old lighthouse. By 1968 it became fully operational and the old lighthouse was deactivated.
The lighthouse's last active power source was a 500 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:...
110 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...
Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
lamp, fed by the 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...
. It showed a white light, with red showing in a sector. Having an intensity of 250,000 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...
the white light was visible for 19 nautical miles (35.2 km) while the red one was visible for 9 nautical miles (16.7 km). The light was shown at a focal height of 52 metres (170.6 ft).
After deactivation
The lighthouse remained at location until 1970 under constant threats of demolition. In 1970 volunteers from the Golden Beach Power Boat Club relocated it to Woorim Park, near their clubhouse. As funds for preservation were not provided, the tower continued deteriorating, the iron cladding rusted, and water leaking weakened the timber frames. At some point the lighthouse was concrete rendered to seal it, but deterioration continued.In the late 1990s it became apparent that the tower's integrity was threatened. In order to get the tower funded it needed to be registered by the Queensland Heritage Register, but as it was not in its original location it was not eligible. As the new lighthouse was deactivated in 1992, relocating the lighthouse back to its original location became an option. After a two year campaign by local residents and the Caloundra City Council a lease on the original location was obtained and A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
50,000 were granted by the Council to facilitate the relocation. However, a relocation attempt made on 22 March 1999 was almost disastrous. Though the lantern was successfully detached, as the tower was lifted about a metre off the ground a section below the first floor broke away due to the brittleness of the timber studs and the lighthouse fell to the ground. As the move was insured, the lighthouse could be saved. The tower was subsequently braced and repaired, and on 11 June it was transported successfully to its original location, where a new base has been built over the original one. Later that year the tower and the lantern were then restored, and the lantern was placed back on the tower. It took more than a year to get the official certifications to open the lighthouse to the public, and the public open day was held on 31 March 2001.
The lighthouse's lease was held by the Caloundra City Council, which licensed it to the Lions Club of Caloundra and later to the Friends of the Caloundra Lighthouses Inc (which was established in 2007) until it expired in 2009. It was licensed to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Sunshine Coast Regional Council
The Sunshine Coast Region is a Local Government Area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia.It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires of Maroochy and Noosa. It contains of roads, of coastline and an estimated resident...
in 2010. As of early 2011 the plans are to have both the old and the new lighthouses open to the public later in 2011.
Structure
The 11.5 metres (37.7 ft) tower construction is typical to Queensland lighthouses of the time. It is built of a hardwood frame and clad with corrugatedCorrugated galvanised iron
Corrugated galvanised iron is a building material composed of sheets of hot-dip galvanised mild steel, cold-rolled to produce a linear corrugated pattern in them...
zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
annealed
Annealing (metallurgy)
Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment wherein a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness. It is a process that produces conditions by heating to above the recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and...
iron. It is conical in form. The diameter at the based is 4.3 metres (14.1 ft), tapering to 2.26 metres (7.4 ft) at the top. The base of the tower is a round concrete slab placed over the original footing in the 1999 relocation. The entrance is through the northern side, through a small wooden framed entry with an arched corrugated iron roof. The tower also has four small rectangular windows, two at ground level and two at the middle. Inside the tower are two platforms, accessed by two flight of stepladder and hatchways in the floors. The tower exterior is painted white, with a red border on the entry door.
The tower is topped by the renovated metal lantern room, accessed via a lead lined hatchway in the floor. The base of the lantern room is made of steel plates, and a hatch door allows access to the gallery. The lantern room is domed, and the dome exterior is painted red and topped with a ventilator cowl. The gallery floor is timber, supported by cast iron brackets, and surrounded by a red painted lightweight tubular balustrade. A pedestal for the lens was installed in the lantern room, though the lens was removed.