Flat Top Island Light Explained

Coordinates:-21.1615°N 149.2467°W
Yearbuilt:1878
Yearlit:1879[1]
Automated:about 1920
Yeardeactivated:2007
Foundation:stone and concrete tower
Construction:timber frame clad with galvanized iron
Shape:conical tower
Marking:white tower, red lantern dome
Lens:4th order
Characteristic:Fl (4) WR 20s. (defunct)

Flat Top Island Light is an inactive lighthouse on Flat Top Island, a small island off the entrance to Mackay harbor at the mouth of Pioneer River, about east of Mackay, Queensland, Australia. It used to mark the river entrance for shipping and the direction of the port, as well as highlighting close by shoals at Shoalwater Point and a reef off Hay Point. At from the ground to the lantern floor, it is the shortest of Queensland's timber-framed iron clad lighthouses.

History

Tenders for the construction of the lighthouse were called in February 1877,[2] and the tender accepted on September of that year was by Archibald McIntyre.[3] Construction commenced in December 1877[4] and complete in May 1878.[5] However, the lighthouse was not officially lit, as the permanent apparatus was not available and a temporary one was used. The light was officially lit only on 27 December 1879 with the installation of the permanent apparatus.[6] As typical for lighthouses of that period in Queensland, the tower is conical in shape, built of an internal timber frame, clad with galvanized iron plates. The foundation was deep and wide, made of stone and concrete. The lighthouse diameter is 11feet at the bottom and at the top. The height of the tower is 20feet from the ground to the balcony, making it the shortest of the composite lighthouses ever built in Queensland. From the ground to the top the height reported on construction was,[7] with the light being shown at 23feet. However, the height was no hindrance, as the focal height was .[6] The permanent light installed was a fixed fourth order dioptric and was visible for . It showed white light for directions clear of danger (except where obscured by the close by Round Top Island) and red over danger. An additional red sector was later installed to show further dangerous locations.[6] The lighthouse is currently painted white with a red dome.

In January 1918 the lighthouse was the only structure on the island and the only aid to navigation to survive the 1918 Mackay cyclone.[8] The lighthouse was automated around 1920. In 1991, the light source was still an open flame acetylene gas burner.

The light was discontinued in March 2007 and it is currently conserved on site. The last light characteristic displayed was four flashes every twenty seconds, red and white depending on the direction (Fl.(4)W.R. 20s).

Site operation and visiting

The lighthouse is currently inactive. Before that, it was operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The island is accessible only by boat. It is unclear whether public access to the site and tower are available.

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. According to and . states 1894. states 1878, which is the year in which it was built.
  2. News: Rockhampton Bulletin. Telegraphic Despatches. 12 February 1877.
  3. News: Rockhampton Bulletin. Telegraphic Despatches. 17 September 1877.
  4. News: The Queenslander. Mackay December 24. 5 January 1878.
  5. reports on 3 May that it is "almost completed" and a letter at Lighthouses of Australia Inc Bulletin. Flat Top Island Lighthouse, Qld. 2003. 2. 2 October 2017. 8 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171008153703/http://www.lighthouses.org.au/lights/Bulletin/0304/Bulletin%20Apr%2003.htm#FlatTop. dead. states it was built in May 1878.
  6. News: The Northern Territory Times and Gazette. Notice to Mariners, Light, Flat-Top Island, Pioneer River. 27 December 1879.
  7. . Note that gives a close .
  8. News: The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 1918. Disaster at Mackay.