Dent Island Light is an active

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 ...

on Dent Island, a small island off the coast of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, part of the Whitsunday Group of the

Whitsunday Islands The Whitsunday Islands are 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Brisbane. The northernmost of the islands are off the coast by the town of Bowen, while the southernmost islands are ...

. Located on the southwest tip of the island, the light guides ships navigating the Whitsunday Passage, between

Whitsunday Island Whitsunday Island is the largest island in the Whitsunday group of islands located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia. History Whitsunday Island was inhabited by the sea-faring Ngaro people for around 8,000 years prior to British ...

and the islands to the west, and marks the Dent Island Passage. From its inception, the lighthouse was closely connected to

Cape Cleveland Light Cape Cleveland Light is an active heritage-listed lighthouse located on the northern tip of Cape Cleveland, a promontory projecting into the Coral Sea west of Cleveland Bay in the locality of Cape Cleveland about east of Townsville, Queensla ...

. Both lighthouses were recommended, approved, tendered and finally, in December 1879, constructed together. The light had two upgrades in the 1920s, replacing both the oil lamp and fourth-order lens with an

incandescent gas mantle file:Glowing gas mantle.jpg, A Coleman Company, Coleman white gas lantern mantle glowing at full brightness An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating incandescent bright white light when heated by a flame ...

and a new lens. In 1983, it was converted to solar power; and was demanned in 1987. The lighthouse is a typical for Queensland, made of a timber frame

clad Cladding is an outer layer of material covering another. It may refer to the following: *Cladding (boiler), the layer of insulation and outer wrapping around a boiler shell *Cladding (construction), materials applied to the exterior of buildings ...

with galvanized iron plates. It is topped by a Chance Brothers lantern room, and painted white with a red dome. A modern

ML-300 Tideland Signal, sometimes referred to as Tidelands, was a privately held, Houston, Texas based manufacturer of marine navigational aids, with main offices in Lafayette, Louisiana, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Burgess Hill, UK, Dubai ...

lantern replaced the original lens.

History

From its beginning, the lighthouse was closely related to the Cape Cleveland Light. The construction of both lighthouses was recommended by Commander

George Poynter Heath George Poynter Heath (19 June 1830 – 26 March 1921) was a Royal Navy captain and the first portmaster of Queensland, Australia. It was under his supervision and administration that the of coast of Queensland, and its numerous river and cree ...

, the Chairman of the Queensland Marine Board, in February 1878. The lighthouses were formally approved in April 1878 and tenders for the construction of both stations, each including a lighthouse and two keepers' cottages, were called in May 1878 and closed in June 1878. The tenders were awarded to W. P. Clark, who also constructed

Bustard Head Light Bustard Head Light is an active lighthouse located on the southeast tip of Bustard Head, a headland, about northwest of Seventeen Seventy, in the Australian state of Queensland, within the Eurimbula National Park and locality of Eurimbula. Bu ...

(1868),

Low Isles Light Low Isles Light, also known as Low Islets Light or Low Island Light, is an active lighthouse located on Low Island, a coral cay which together with Woody Island forms the Low Isles group, about northeast of Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. ...

(1877),

Double Island Point Light Double Island Point Light is an active lighthouse located at the summit of Double Island Point, a coastal headland within the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park. It is located at the southern end of Wide Bay, north of Noosa Hea ...

(1884) and

Pine Islet Light Pine Islet Light, also known as Percy Isles Light, is an active lighthouse located at Pine Islet, a small islet belonging to the Percy Isles group of the Northumberland Islands, about southeast of Mackay, Queensland, Mackay, Queensland, Australi ...

(1885). However, following personal difficulties, the contracts were transferred to John Clark and James Wiseman who completed the construction of both stations in December 1879. The tower was constructed in the unique Queensland method of constructing a timber frame and cladding it with non-structural iron plates or iron sheets. The original apparatus comprised a fourth order lens with an oil wick burner of 4,000 cd intensity. Like other lighthouses at that time it used a

clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight. A clockwork mec ...

mechanism with weights, which had to be wound periodically. Due to its short height, only from the base to the lantern, the mechanism had to be wound every 75 minutes. In 1925, the light was upgraded to a 35mm

fueled by pressurised

kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

, with an intensity of 225,000 cd, visible for . In 1927 the lens was replaced with refurbished lens from

. In 1983 the light was converted to

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...

and downgraded to a visibility range of . It was finally demanned in 1987.

Current display

The current

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 white flash every five seconds (Fl.W. 5s) visible at 335°-167°, for a distance of . The apparatus is an

and the light source is a 12

Volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defi ...

Watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

Halogen lamp with an intensity of 1785 cd.

Structures

The tower is from the base to the lantern, conical in shape. It is built of an internal timber frame,

with galvanized iron plates, painted white. Access from the entrance to the lantern is via a circular

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

staircase. The tower is topped by a diameter Chance Brothers lantern room, white painted with the dome painted red. The modern

lens is installed inside the lantern room.. says the lens installed on the handrail of the tower balcony, but recent photos show it inside the lantern room. The station includes two cottages, constructed in 1960, timber-framed,

fibro Asbestos cement, genericized as fibro, fibrolite (short for "fibrous (or fibre) cement sheet") or AC sheet, is a building material in which asbestos fibres are used to reinforce thin rigid cement sheets. Although invented at the end of the 19t ...

clad, with galvanised iron roofs. One of the cottages has two storeys and a closed verandah, while the other is single levelled with an open verandah. The station also comprises a winch house, stores shed, engine room and combined workshop/radio room.

Site operation and visiting

The light is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The island is accessible only by boat. However, Dent island is privately owned, so the site is closed to the public.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

* {{Authority control Lighthouses in Queensland Lighthouses completed in 1879 Queensland places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate Commonwealth Heritage List places in Queensland Buildings and structures in North Queensland 1879 establishments in Australia