Grotto Point Light, also known as Port Jackson Entrance Range Front 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 ...

located at Grotto Point, a rocky headland at the southernmost tip of

Balgowlah Heights Balgowlah Heights is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 11 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Bea ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

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 ...

, on the north side of Sydney Harbour. It serves as the front

range light Leading lights (also known as range lights in the United States) are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At nigh ...

, Rosherville Light serving as the rear light, into

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea ...

. Rosherville Light is located almost exactly ( to be exact) behind Grotto Point Light.

History

The decision to build the range lights was taken in 1909. Construction began in 1910 and the light was first lit on September 1, 1911. It is one of four lighthouses in a style sometimes called "Disney Castle", the others being Rosherville Light,

Vaucluse Bay Range Front Light Vaucluse Bay Range Front Light is an active lighthouse located on the east side of the entrance to Vaucluse Bay in Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia. It serves as the front range light ( Vaucluse Bay Range Rear Light serving as the rear li ...

and

Vaucluse Bay Range Rear Light Vaucluse Bay Range Rear Light is an active lighthouse located on the east side of the entrance to Vaucluse Bay in Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia. It serves as the rear range light companion to the Vaucluse Bay Range Front Light, into Va ...

. The original light source was a

carbide lamp Carbide lamps, or acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene (C2H2) which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O). Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse b ...

(acetylene gas) which was initially generated on-site, and later replaced by compressed gas cylinders brought by boat. Later, the light was electrified and connected to the

mains electricity Mains electricity or utility power, power grid, domestic power, and wall power, or in some parts of Canada as hydro, is a general-purpose alternating-current (AC) electric power supply. It is the form of electrical power that is delivered to h ...

Structure

The structure is a masonry and brick domed tower, attached to two barrel-vaulted service sections in decreasing heights, all painted white. The structure is surrounded by a white picket fence. The light is shone through a horizontal slit, about two-thirds of the way up the tower. The lens is a

catadioptric A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses (dioptrics) and curved mirrors ( catoptrics). Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as searchlights, ...

apparatus.

Site operation

The light is operated by the Sydney Ports corporation while the site is managed by the

Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), a former division of the Government of New South Wales between April 2011 and July 2019, was responsible for the care and protection of the environment and heritage, which includes ...

as part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

Visiting

The site is accessible by a short hike from Castle Rock track. The grounds are open but the tower is closed to the public.

References and notes

* * * *

External links