Rising from the island known to the Whadjuk Noongar people as Wadjemup meaning “the place across the water where the spirits are”, the two limestone towers of Wadjemup and Bathurst lighthouses have safeguarded vessels approaching Fremantle for over a century. These lighthouses bear witness to both maritime triumph and colonial tragedy, their origins intertwined with the island’s complex history as an Aboriginal prison where approximately 4,000 men and boys were incarcerated between 1838 and 1931, with at least 373 dying and buried in what remains Australia’s largest known deaths in custody site, and the site of several major shipwreck tragedies.

Despite this grim history Rottnest Island has become one of Perth’s premier holiday destinations with locals and tourists alike flocking to enjoy the sunsets and clear waters and these historic lighthouses have become iconic symbols of the islands connection to Western Australia’s colonial history and transformation into a major contributor to Australia’s wealth.

The Wadjemup Lighthouse has dominated the island’s highest point for 170 years. The first tower, constructed by Aboriginal prisoners between 1842 and 1849 using limestone from Nancy Cove stood 20 metres tall with living quarters built around its foundation. Designed by Superintendent of Public Works Henry Trigg the construction took seven years to complete. Samuel Thomas was appointed as first keeper in January 1849 though the light wasn’t illuminated until 1 June 1851, coinciding with the Swan River Colony’s 22nd anniversary.

Unusually for the period, the revolving catoptric light was designed and built locally in Fremantle by Assistant Surveyor-General Augustus Gregory, using oil-burning lamps with silvered parabolic reflectors and was visible for 20 nautical miles. Despite it’s presence seven ships foundered on Rottnest’s reefs between 1878 and 1891 exposing the tower’s inadequacy. By the late 1880s, authorities deemed it “behind the times.”

In 1891, the colonial government allocated £6,000 for the construction of a more powerful replacement. Premier Sir John Forrest laid the foundation stone on 25 April 1895, sealing a glass bottle containing newspapers, coins, and construction plans into the foundations—presumably still there today. The new 38.7-metre tower was designed by British engineer William Tregarthen Douglass and overseen by Engineer-in-Chief Charles Yelverton O’Connor, who would tragically take his own life in 1902 when his Kalgoorlie water pipeline faced criticism, never seeing its ultimate success.

Governor Sir Gerard Smith officially opened the lighthouse on 17 March 1896. The sophisticated optical apparatus featured a Chance Brothers eight-panel catadioptric lens with a 920mm focal radius, creating eight powerful beams that appeared to flash as the lens rotated. Initially powered by a clockwork mechanism, the light underwent numerous upgrades, including the installation of a mercury float pedestal in 1929—a technological marvel allowing the massive lens to rotate smoothly on a thin cushion of mercury. Electrification arrived in 1936, increasing power to 1,300,000 candlepower. The lighthouse was fully automated in November 1986, with the last keeper departing in 1990, ending 140 years of continuous keeper presence.

While Wadjemup Lighthouse served as the island’s primary lighthouse the treacherous reefs surrounding Rottnest demanded additional safety measures and in response the second lighthouse at Bathurst Point, at the northeastern extremity of the island, was commissioned as a direct response to one of Western Australia’s most tragic maritime disasters.

On 12 July 1899, the three-masted iron barque City of York approached in deteriorating weather. The assistant lighthouse keeper at Wadjemup Lighthouse lit a signal flare following established procedures, challenging the ship to stand off and await a pilot. Captain Phillip Jones fatally misinterpreted this signal as indicating a pilot boat ahead in safe water, steering directly toward what he believed was safety. The ship struck a reef 200 metres offshore. Of 26 crew who took to two lifeboats, the first carrying six men reached safety. The second, containing 20 men including Captain Jones, stood off while the captain considered his options. Believing the ship was holding steady, Jones ordered the lifeboat to return to the vessel but a large wave capsized the boat, drowning all 20 who were on board.

The subsequent inquiry exposed critical inadequacies in the single-lighthouse system and confused signalling procedures. The disaster occurred during the same storm that claimed the Carlisle Castle on 11 July with all 22 to 26 crew lost. The dual tragedies, claiming more than 30 lives within 24 hours, galvanised colonial authorities into immediate action.

Construction commenced remarkably quickly, with the lighthouse lit just 13 months after the tragedy. The 20-metre circular tower and keeper’s quarters were built from limestone quarried directly on Rottnest Island. Fortuitously, the Chance Brothers lantern and 700mm focal length lens had been ordered for a subsidiary light at Cape Leeuwin that was never completed. The tower was constructed in the simple, functional style characteristic of early twentieth-century Australian lighthouses, fitted with a fixed acetylene gas light producing a steady white beam, distinguishing it from Wadjemup’s revolving light.

George W Waters served as first lightkeeper from April 1900 until his retirement on 30 June 1915. On 15 October 1920, after only 20 years of manned operation, the lighthouse was converted to automatic flashing acetylene operation, becoming one of Western Australia’s earliest automated lighthouses. The light’s characteristic changed to group flashing with four white flashes every 16 seconds, a distinctive pattern that remains today. In November 1986, the lighthouse underwent conversion to solar-powered electric operation, representing Western Australia’s embrace of renewable energy for navigational infrastructure.

Whilst maritime traffic on Gage Roads has increased expodentially over the past century and improvements to lighthouse and navigation technology more generally have improved enormously these improvements haven’t prevented accidents in these treacherous waters and ships and smaller craft continue to come to grief of the reefs of the surrounding area.

Today, both lighthouses continue their vital roles. Wadjemup Lighthouse remains a major coastal light with a range of 22 nautical miles, while Bathurst Lighthouse serves as the rear component in Kingston Reef’s leading lights system with a range of 14 to 15 nautical miles, maintaining the triangulation system that has protected countless vessels for over a century.

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Technical Details

Wadjemup Lighthouse

Tower Height: 38.7 metres
Focal Plane: 80.5 metres above sea level
Construction: 1895-1896 (locally quarried limestone)
First Exhibited: 17 March 1896 (original tower: 1 June 1851)
Lens: Chance Brothers first-order 920mm focal radius eight-panel catadioptric lens
Current Characteristic: Fl.(1)W. 7.5s (single white flash every 7.5 seconds)
Range: 22 nautical miles (nominal)
Status: Active, automated (15 November 1986)
First Keeper: Samuel Thomas (January 1849)
Operator: Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)

Bathurst Lighthouse

Tower Height: 20 metres
Focal Plane: 30 metres above high water mark
Construction: 1899-1900
Construction Material: Locally quarried Rottnest Island limestone
First Exhibited: 1900
Original Lens: 700mm focal length
Lantern: Chance Brothers, Birmingham, England
Original Light Source: Fixed acetylene gas
Current Characteristic: Fl.(4)W. 16s (4 white flashes every 16 seconds)
Range: 14-15 nautical miles
Status: Active, automated (15 October 1920)
First Keeper: George W Waters (April 1900–30 June 1915)
1986 Conversion: Solar-powered electric automatic operation
Operator: Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)
Heritage Listings: Register of the National Estate (March 1978); Heritage Council of Western Australia Register of Heritage Places