Cape Borda Lighthouse (formerly known as the Flinders Light) is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

located at Cape Borda on

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

History

It was built in 1858 and is the third oldest remaining and only square stone lighthouse in South Australia. The lighthouse was built to guide ships travelling along the Roaring Forties trade route heading into the

Investigator Strait Investigator Strait is a body of water in South Australia lying between the Yorke Peninsula, on the Australian mainland, and Kangaroo Island. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his ship, HMS ''Investigator'', on his voyage of 1801–1802. ...

towards

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

. Originally there was no road linking Cape Borda to the rest of Kangaroo Island and all supplies had to be hauled up from ships via a steep steel railway at a nearby cove known as Harvey's Return then taken to the lighthouse every three months. Its

focal plane In Gaussian optics, the cardinal points consist of three pairs of points located on the optical axis of a rotationally symmetric, focal, optical system. These are the '' focal points'', the principal points, and the nodal points. For ''ideal'' ...

is situated at a height of , the

light characteristic A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists with the cha ...

is a group of four white flashes that occurs every 20 seconds. The lightstation was automated in 1989 and is still fully operational. In 1999 the original

fog signal A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...

cannon was restored, today it is fired daily at 12:30 hours.

Today

The lighthouse and surrounding cottages are looked after by the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...

while the top floor of the lightstation and the light itself is the property of the

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations. The authority ...

. Visitors are able to go on tours of the lighthouse and stay in the surrounding cottages. The lighthouse has been listed as a state heritage place on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

since 24 July 1980. Its significance is reported as follows:

The Cape Borda Lighthouse (1858), originally termed the Flinders Light, was the third lighthouse constructed in the Colony following those at Cape Willoughby (1852) and Troubridge Shoal (1856). It is significant for being one of very few square stone lighthouses remaining in Australia and is the only one in South Australia. In addition, its Deville & Co lantern is one of only three known to remain in Australia.

Image:Harvey's Return cemetery.jpg, Harvey's Return cemetery Image:Harvey's Return cemetery plaque.jpg, Harvey's Return plaque

References

External links

Australian Maritime Safety Authority
* Lighthouses in South Australia Lighthouses completed in 1858 Kangaroo Island Investigator Strait South Australian Heritage Register {{Australia-lighthouse-stub

History

Today

See also

References

External links