Fitzroy Island Light is an inactive

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 Fitzroy Island, a

continental island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

southeast of

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

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 ...

. It was only active between 1973 and 1992 but, together with Little Fitzroy Island Light, there has been a light station in the area since 1929. Fitzroy Island lighthouse now serves as a

visitor centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visit ...

for the Fitzroy Island National Park.

History

The first station in the area was established on nearby Little Fitzroy Island in 1929, to warn ships in the Grafton Passage of the reefs around the island. The station on Fitzroy Island was established in 1943, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, to supplement the Little Fitzroy Island Light. 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 ...

shown by the 1943 light was unique in Australia, and perhaps in the world, in that the characteristic seen (and not just the light colour) was dependent on the direction, corresponding to different

Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...

signals. In the direction 217°, the middle of the channel, it showed a group of four flashes every 16 seconds. North of that direction, the first two flashes looked like a single long flash, resulting in one long flash followed by two short flashes, i.e. a Morse code "D" (go down). South of 217°, it would show two short flashes followed by a long flash, i.e. a Morse code "U" (go up). That was achieved by using two synchronised rotating bullseye lens panels, which had been taken from the first-order lens formerly at

Cape Northumberland Lighthouse List of state heritage places in the District Council of Grant is a list of sites in the Australian state of South Australia known as state heritage places which are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register and are located within th ...

. In 1973, the present Fitzroy Island lighthouse was constructed, being the fifth of a group of seven

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

towers erected in Queensland between 1964 and 1979. In order of construction, they were

Cape Capricorn Light Cape Capricorn Light is an active heritage-listed lighthouse located on Cape Capricorn, a coastal headland on the northeast point of Curtis Island, in Gladstone Region, Central Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse, constructed in 1964, is t ...

, New Caloundra Light, Point Danger Light,

New Burnett Heads Light The New Burnett Heads Light, also known as South Head Light, is an active lighthouse standing on the south side of the Burnett River entrance, in Burnett Heads, Queensland, Australia. In 1971 it replaced the Old Burnett Heads Light, which was re ...

, Fitzroy Island Light,

Point Cartwright Light Point Cartwright Light is an active lighthouse located on Point Cartwright, a point near the mouth of the Mooloolah River, in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia. It marks the entrance to the North West Channel, a deep water channel into Moreto ...

and

Archer Point Light Archer Point Light is an active lighthouse on Archer Point, a conical, grassy headland about southeast of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia. Originally an 1883 timber frame lighthouse covered with galvanised iron, it was replaced in 1975 wit ...

. At that same time, the Little Fitzroy Island Light was deactivated. The light source was an array of

sealed beam A parabolic aluminized reflector lamp (PAR lamp or simply PAR) is a type of electric lamp that is widely used in commercial, residential, and transportation illumination. It produces a highly directional beam. Usage includes theatrical lightin ...

lamps. In 1992, the Fitzroy Island lighthouse was deactivated, and Little Fitzroy Island Light made active again after a re-build. The lighthouse on Fitzroy Island now serves as a visitor centre for the Fitzroy Island National Park.

Structures

The lighthouse is octagonal in form, topped with a lantern and a gallery. It is made of concrete and covered with tiles, much like Point Cartwright Light and New Burnett Heads Light. The site also includes several preserved

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a 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. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

cottages and auxiliary buildings.

Site operation and visiting

Fitzroy Island is accessible by ferry from Cairns, and the lighthouse is a hike from the ferry landing. The site is open, although the tower is closed to the public. It is operated by the

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is a business division of the Department of Environment and Science within the Government of Queensland. The division’s primary concern is with the management and maintenance of protected areas ...

as part of the Fitzroy Island National Park. The unique 1943 light is on display in the lighthouse office. The lamp from the last lighthouse is on display at the Cairns Historical Society Museum.

Notes

References

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External links