Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Wollongong Head Lighthouse, also known as Flagstaff Lighthouse or Flagstaff Point Light, is an active lighthouse
located in Wollongong
, a coastal city south of Sydney
, New South Wales
. It overlooks the Tasman Sea
from the top of Flagstaff Point, directly east of the city centre. Wollongong is the only place in the east of Australia to have two lighthouses located in close proximity of each other, the other being Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse.
Wollongong Harbour is home to private vessels and the local fishing fleet in its inner Belmore Basin. South of the city is Port Kembla, a major steelmaking, minerals, grain and vehicle handling harbour. A further hazard to shipping is an island group known collectively as The Five Islands
lying a short distance off the coast.
The light is coloured white and red. White with a 4.5 second duration is visible through 100 degrees, while red is visible through 80 degrees. The latter indicates the presence of shallow water. Three 68 pounder cannons (now defunct) were installed near its base in 1879 to repel any possible attacks by the Russia
n navy. It finally became the sole functioning lighthouse at Flagstaff Point when the old Wollongong Lighthouse situated only a few hundred metres away on the Belmore Basin to the north was discontinued in 1974.
On 7 January 2000, the Wollongong Head Lighthouse was listed as a heritage
building for being the first fully automatic electric lighthouse in Australia. It was assessed as meeting the NSW State Heritage Register
(SHR) Criteria: a,c,e and f; meaning it is rare, of historic value, has landmark and aesthetic significance, has technological and scientific value and has structural integrity.
Due to its vantage point, it is a popular picnic-cum-scenic spot by locals, visitors and campus students from the nearby University of Wollongong
.
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 Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, a coastal city south of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, 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...
. It overlooks the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
from the top of Flagstaff Point, directly east of the city centre. Wollongong is the only place in the east of Australia to have two lighthouses located in close proximity of each other, the other being Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse.
Wollongong Harbour is home to private vessels and the local fishing fleet in its inner Belmore Basin. South of the city is Port Kembla, a major steelmaking, minerals, grain and vehicle handling harbour. A further hazard to shipping is an island group known collectively as The Five Islands
Five Islands Nature Reserve
Five Islands Nature Reserve is a 26 ha reserve comprising five islands close to Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia. The islands - Flinders Islet , Bass Islet, Martin Islet, Big Island and Rocky Islet - lie between 0.5 and 3.5 km off the coast...
lying a short distance off the coast.
History
Built by the Department of Shipping and Transport in 1936 to guide maritime traffic into Port Kembla Harbour located to the south. It was not only the first new lighthouse in New South Wales since 1903 but also the first to install fully automatic flashing lights. The tower is constructed of reinforced concrete to withstand the strong winds and splashing waves where it stands on the eastern side of Flagstaff Point.The light is coloured white and red. White with a 4.5 second duration is visible through 100 degrees, while red is visible through 80 degrees. The latter indicates the presence of shallow water. Three 68 pounder cannons (now defunct) were installed near its base in 1879 to repel any possible attacks by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n navy. It finally became the sole functioning lighthouse at Flagstaff Point when the old Wollongong Lighthouse situated only a few hundred metres away on the Belmore Basin to the north was discontinued in 1974.
On 7 January 2000, the Wollongong Head Lighthouse was listed as a heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
building for being the first fully automatic electric lighthouse in Australia. It was assessed as meeting the NSW State Heritage Register
NSW State Heritage Register
The NSW State Heritage Register is a heritage register administered by the Heritage Branch of the New South Wales Department of Planning. It is based in Parramatta....
(SHR) Criteria: a,c,e and f; meaning it is rare, of historic value, has landmark and aesthetic significance, has technological and scientific value and has structural integrity.
Due to its vantage point, it is a popular picnic-cum-scenic spot by locals, visitors and campus students from the nearby University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
.