Woodman Light, also known as Woodman Point Lighthouse, Gage Roads Lighthouse and Coogee Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Located on

Woodman Point Woodman Point is a headland on the west coast of Western Australia. It is located in the Perth suburb of Coogee, south-south-west of the city centre and south of Fremantle. It extends westward into the Indian Ocean. The coastal waters immed ...

in the

City of Cockburn The City of Cockburn ( ) is a local government area in the southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about south of Fremantle and about south of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and had a po ...

, it has been in continuous operation since 1902. It is high, and constructed of locally quarried limestone. It is located on the highest point of land in the area, which is unusually far inland for a lighthouse. On the same block of land are two

Federation Bungalow Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of ...

style keepers' cottage, also built of limestone. The lighthouse is operated and maintained by the

Fremantle Port Authority Fremantle Port Authority, also known by its registered business name Fremantle Ports, is the responsible authority created under the Western Australian Port Authorities Act 1999. Harbour administration In August 1829 the Fremantle Harbour Maste ...

for the benefit of shipping approaching

Fremantle Harbour Fremantle Harbour is Western Australia's largest and busiest general cargo port and an important historical site. The inner harbour handles a large volume of sea containers, vehicle imports and livestock exports, cruise shipping and naval vi ...

. The lighthouse is a leading light with three sectors: green to the east, a bright (white) central sector and red to the west. Most Western Australian lighthouses were taken over by the Commonwealth in 1915. Because Woodman Point was not considered to be a 'coastal light' it remained under state control. The lighthouse is not open to the public. The keepers' cottages have not been used as such since the light was electrified in 1955; currently, they are used as private residences.

History

Originally known as Gage Roads Lighthouse, it provided a leading light for vessels heading to the

Port of Fremantle Fremantle Harbour is Western Australia's largest and busiest general cargo port and an important historical site. The inner harbour handles a large volume of sea containers, vehicle imports and livestock exports, cruise shipping and naval vis ...

. Previously shipping had relied on the lighthouses on Rottnest and

Arthur Head Arthur Head (also known as Arthur's Head) in Fremantle, Western Australia, is a former large limestone headland on the southern side of the mouth of the Swan River, now also the entry to Fremantle Harbour. Historian Bob Reece identifies the ...

to navigate to the port. The Arthur Head light was a fixed white light. Increasing development along the coast made it difficult for ships to distinguish the lighthouse from other lights. As an example, the voyage of the ''Stuttgart'' would have ended in tragedy had her captain not realised in time that he was not steering for the Arthur Head lighthouse, but a bright light on the Osborne Hotel in Claremont! The need for a leading light was put to the government by the captains of various mail steamers. Construction of the Gage Roads Lighthouse commenced in October 1901. The tower and cottages were built by contractor Rose under a Public Works Department tender for £2,383. It had a

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 ...

vapour lamp, and first order lens and lantern supplied by Messrs Chance Bros & Co., Smethwick,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and an occulting timing pattern that hid the light for three seconds every 30 seconds. There is a widely circulating story that the red and green sector shades were incorrectly installed, that is, in the reverse order. Drawings from the Public Works Department that pre-date construction show that the sectors were installed as planned. The story is clearly an urban myth! The bright sector had a range of . The lighthouse was officially opened on 23 August 1902 by the Minister for Public Works Hector Cornthwaite Rason. The opening was attended by a number of politicians and businessmen including the Colonial Treasurer James Gardiner; the Colonial Secretary,

Walter Kingsmill Sir Walter Kingsmill (10 April 1864 – 15 January 1935) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1923 to 1935. He was President of the Senate from 1929 to 1932. Early life Kingsmill was born on 10 Ap ...

; and the

Mayor of Fremantle Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Aus ...

, Lawrence Alexander. The first lightkeeper was William Efford. He was transferred from the Arthur Head lighthouse which was extinguished when Woodman Point was lit. The first assistant keeper was John Lyons. New condensing prisms were fitted in 1908. 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 opposing ...

it was used by the army as a communications base and observations post, and was therefore placed under guard. In 1944 the clockwork mechanism controlling the occulting of the light was replaced, as the original was considered on the verge of failure. In the mid 1950s an additional green sector was added to the south-west. In 1955 the lighthouse was electrified at a cost of £1300. The new electrified light had a range of about in clear weather. On 19 July of that year, the lighthouse was de-manned. The last lightkeeper was Laurence McBride; the last assistant keeper was Albert Livesey.

References

Woodman Light
in the

Gazetteer of Australia The Gazetteer of Australia is an index or dictionary of the location and spelling of geographical names across Australia. Geographic names include towns, suburbs and roads, plus geographical features such as hills, rivers, and lakes. The index is ...

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* * * {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1902 State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Cockburn Lighthouses in Western Australia

History

See also

References