Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse
The Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Australia , which is located on the southern tip of Maatsuyker Island . This structure was also Australia's last manned lighthouse.
The island is 10 km south of the Tasmanian coast and in front of the lighthouse are the Needle Rocks, which are dangerous for shipping .
history
The 15m high lighthouse was completed in 1891 and cost £ 8,500. It was built from perforated bricks and painted white. The upper part of the lighthouse consists of iron and a heavy lamp system consisting of 2 tons. The building materials for the tower were brought to the coast in a horse-drawn tram and then transported to Haulage Cove , the only bay that can be landed in good weather due to the roaring forties that rule there .
The oil-based fire was replaced by kerosene in 1924 and by a 1000 watt light with three diesel generators in 1976. The timing mechanism could also be replaced by an electric motor, which meant that the number of lighthouse keepers could be reduced from three to two. At the same time, the clockwork was modernized, which allowed the guards to sleep at night (with the exception of a weather monitoring every three hours), and there was also an alarm system to monitor the lighting. The light beam has a range of 26 km.
There was a landing stage at Haulage Cove , which was destroyed several times by the violent storms that prevailed there, so the lighthouse has been approached by helicopter in recent years.
today
Starting in 1996, the lighting was replaced by a solar powered light and this allowed the lighthouse keepers of the last person-monitored lighthouse in Australia to be withdrawn.
The lighthouse is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b lighthouse.net.au ( memento of the original from January 25, 2013 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse, accessed September 25, 2011
Coordinates: 43 ° 39 ′ 23.8 ″ S , 146 ° 16 ′ 17.4 ″ E