Location:

Cooktown, Far North Queensland

GPS: Lat: 15° 27’ S : Long: 145° 15’ E

First Lit: 1886 (Automated 1927)

Tower height: 20′ (6.1m). Focal height: 530′ (160m) msl

Original Lens: 4th Order Chance Bros. Dioptric

Range: 9nml (17km)

Characteristic: Two white flashes every six seconds: [Fl (2)W 6s]

History:

Traditional:

While I couldn’t find any specific traditional Origin Story or Myths associated with Grassy Hill there are several important and relevant First Nation aspects to the history of Grassy Hill.

Firstly, Captain Cook named it Grassy Hill because unlike the surrounding hills and mountains it was relatively clear of vegetation. This is because the local aborigines practiced “cold burning” on this hill to assist with hunting as boomerangs and spears require a clear line of sight between the hunter and his prey. The fact the top of this hill was clear of vegetation also meant Cook could survey the coast and identify a passage to the north by which they managed to navigate once the Endeavour had been repaired. This would have been much more difficult, if not impossible, if the hill was overgrown with scrub.

The second interesting fact about Grassy Hill is that this was the first reported sighting of a kangaroo, or in the local dialect, Gangurru (although the late Peter Ustinov has a different version of this)!

European:

Grassy Hill, and Cooktown more generally has a rich and some would say controversial European history. In fact standing on top of Grassy Hill I have never felt closer or in more admiration of Captain James Cook and the compliment on the Endeavour back in July of 1770.

This moment in time was an inflection point, it could have so easily ended in disaster and Cook and his crew would never have been heard of again, the the history of Terra Australis could have been so different. To come here and understand their situation, shipwrecked in an unknown land on the other side of the World, with no obvious escape except the determination and skill to survive is truely remarkable, and this is what I felt so powerfully when I first stood on top of Grassy Hill. This was the beginning of modern Australian history and for 48 days it was on a knife’s edge.

I realise our First Nations brothers and sisters regard this as a very sad day but the reality is that Australia was never going to remain undiscovered by Europeans in the age of discovery, and in many ways the fact that Captain Cook claimed it on behalf of the English throne was the least bad option. Certainly other colonial powers of the time had a more brutal history in dealing with indigenous people and it’s is an indisputable fact that Cook respected the “natives” and advocated a peaceful and harmonious coexistence. He never suggested Terra Nullius and should not be held accountable for the injustices that followed. This has nothing to do with Lighthouses but standing on Grassy Hill made this all real to me!

The Lighthouse:

Grassy Hill is a small lighthouse with a big history, aside from the Captain Cook connection it has played an important role in assisting passage through the northern barrier reef for over a century.

After the discovery of gold at Palmer River in October 1873 Cooktown became a thriving port in the 1880’s and was initially served by two leading lights on the wharves and a signal staff on Grassy Hill. In 1882 a temporary light was set on the hill and in 1884 that very active Queensland Portmaster, Commander George Heath, who was now Chairman of the Queensland Marine Board recommended that the temporary light be replaced with a permanent light.

Grassy Hill was finally constructed in 1886 and was the second in a group of eight lighthouses along the Queensland coast recommended and overseen by by Commander Heath.

The original structure made of a hardwood frame clad with corrugated iron still stand but there have been a number of technical upgrades over the years. The fist apparatus was a4th order Chance Brother Dioptric lens with a kerosine light source which Heath personally installed in 1886.

In 1900 a lightkeepers cottage and signal staff was added and in 1913 wireless station was also established. In 1915 the control of Grassy Hill along with all other coastal lighthouses was transferred to the Commonwealth government.

In 1927 the Grassy Hill lighthouse was automated and changed to an acetylene gas burner and the keepers cottage and signal staff were dismantled.

During WWII from 1942 until 1945 the RAAF established an undercover radar station near the lighthouse in a mock keeper cottage, which was also dismantled after the war.

Notable Keepers and Visitors:

There seems to be quite a bit of conjecture as to who was the last lighthouse keeper at Grassy Head, descendants of Thomas Carter Jr. insist he was the last bur according to research by Marge Scultz of the Cooktown History Centre, who painstakingly prepared the schedule of keepers below, Harry Geater served in the position from 1922 to 1927, starting his commission two years after Thomas Carter Jr. had finished his. I’m not sure this matter will ever be resolved as both parties insist they are right.

Current Status:

The Grassy Hill Lighthouse was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1998 and is currently operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the site is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

Originally Grassy Head has a sister lighthouse located at Archer Point. However in 1979 AMSA took a decision to convert Archer Point to electricity and demolished the original lighthouse and keepers cottages and replace them with the concrete and steel structure pictured below. Archer Point, in conjunction with the now disused Rocky Islet formed the lead lights for navigation between Hope Island and the mainland and the port (red) and Starboard (green) panels on either side of the clear central indicated to sailors where they were in relation to the channel between the reefs.