Point Cartwright is a rocky headland at the mouth of the

Mooloolah River The Mooloolah River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east-northeast, similar to the Maroochy River to the north. The mouth of the river is at southern Moolool ...

Queensland, Australia ) , 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_ ...

, renowned for its scenic beauty and landmark lighthouse,

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 ...

. It is located 14 km north of

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ...

History

The headland was named Point Raper in 1861 by Lieutenant Heath of the Royal Navy. Some time after 1861 the current name of Point Cartwright was bestowed on the point thought to have been named after

Edmund Cartwright Edmund Cartwright (24 April 174330 October 1823) was an English inventor. He graduated from Oxford University and went on to invent the power loom. Married to local Elizabeth McMac at 19, he was the brother of Major John Cartwright, a politi ...

who developed weaving and combing equipment in the industrial revolution. Cartwright's invention was closely associated with Sir Richard Arkwright's machinery invented for cotton spinning factories. It is thought that at the same time that Point Cartwright was named, the headland known as Petrie Heads was also renamed to Point Arkwright. It is not known who changed the name to Point Cartwright and Point Arkwright or why they were changed, but it is obvious they are intended to be grouped. The New Caloundra Light built in 1967 became ineffective towards the end of the 1970s and so in May 1978 construction started on

, being officially opened on 10 September 1979.

References

Sunshine Coast Region Headlands of Queensland {{Queensland-geo-stub