Original Lighthouse:

Location:

30km east of Ayr, Far North Queensland

GPS: Lat: 19° 31′ 67″S : Long: 147° 41’ 67″ E

First Exhibited: December 1874 (Automated 1920), Relocated , 1878, 1908 & moved to Sydney in 1987

Tower height: 72′ (22m). Focal height: 62′ (19m) msl

Original Lens: 3rd Order Chance Bros. Dioptric

Range:

Characteristic: One white / red flash every seven and a half seconds: [Fl(4) W 20s]

Note:

In order to remain true to the spirit of my trip which is as much about the history and location of the various lighthouses as it is about the physical structures I am going to include details of the original Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse now, as I pass by it’s original location, rather than when i get to Sydney where it now resides. To capture the essence of these fascinating buildings they need to be seen in the context of their original located and the times when they were operational. In some ways having them in the Maritime Museum in an adoptive city is akin to seeing dolphins in a theme park versus seeing them in the open ocean, many more people get to experience them but something is lost in translation.

History:

The stretch of coast and more particularly the offshore reefs between Cape Bowling Green and Cape Cleveland have proved to be amongst the most treacherous waters in Australian witnessing numerous shipwrecks and the loss of many lives. This is what prompted the Queensland government to fast track the design and construction of a number of lighthouses in this area, including Cape Bowling Green which is located at the end of a long low sand spit that extends into the coral sea on the ocean side and creates the protected waters of Bowling Green Bay on the inshore side.

Though significantly taller than most of its peers Cape Bowling Green was designed and constructed in a similar way to many other Queensland lighthouses of this period, namely a conical shaped tower with a hardwood frame clad in galvanised iron. These lighthouses were built by the experienced Rooney bothers (John and Jacob) from Maryborough, but the lighthouses themselves were prefabricated in Brisbane and shipped to their ultimate location where they were reassembled.

This was the case with Cape Bowling Green which was completed in 1874, however due to location and the fact that this lighthouses was built on sand spit with no solid foundations and subject to significant coastal erosion it was necessary to relocate the lighthouse and keepers cottages in 1778 and again in 1908.

Replacement and relocation to Sydney.

Having explained why I think it is important to describe a lighthouse in its original location that is not to underestimate the effort and skill involved in relocating this lighthouse over 1,000kms to Sydney. It is also worth noting that this relocation and restoration included the painstaking dismantling, transportation, restoration and reconstruction of not only the lighthouse structure but also the original 3rd Order Chance Bros. Dioptric lens, the acetylene lamp and the clockwork rotating mechanism. Since it was open to the public in 1994 the fully restored and impeccably maintained Cape Bowling Green lighthouse has taken pride of place at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney where literally millions of people can get to appreciate the aesthetic of our heritage lighthouses and the important role they have played in our national development.

The Current Light:

Constructed: 1987

Tower Height:105′ (32m). Focal Height: 118′ (36m)

Lens:

Range: 11 nml (20km)

Characteristic: One white / red flash every seven and a half seconds: [Fl(4) W 20s]

The current tower makes up in practicality and efficiency what it lacks in aesthetics and charm.

Notable Keepers and Visitors:

During it’s time as a manned lighthouse Cape Bowling Green had four keepers, a head keeper and three assistants and their families. Due to it’s isolation and the fact there were up to 10 school aged children on site at any one time a teacher was employed by the Department of Public Instruction (i.e. Department of Education). Between the years 1886 and 1895 a room at the lighthouse was designated as school number 510 and a young female teacher was sent there having to board with one of the assistant keepers. The first, Amy Eddison was just 17 years old and lasted less than a year before resigning and being replaced by Emma Reneau who noted that most of the children were reluctant students with two refusing to attend school at all. Not a great posting for a young lady!

On a more serious note the hazards of the remote lighthouse keeper were typified on the night of 27th August, 1892 when assistant keeper Rose was attacked by a crocodile while walking through a swamp to man the tower. Fortunately he was able to escape by climbing a telegraph pole and was subsequently rescued by Superintendent Cole using a dinghy.

Myths and Mysteries:

As previously noted this was a particularly hazardous stretch of coast exemplified by the mystery surrounding the loss of the SS Yongala and all 122 aboard when she disappeared during a cyclone on 23rd March, 1911. The fate of the Yongala was a mystery for almost 50 years until the RAN who were conducting a hydrographic survey detected a wreck 14 nml off Cape Bowling Green. It took a further ten years for this wreck to be positively identified as the Yongala by scuba divers in 1957. This is now considered Australia’s premier wreck dive site.

Current Status:

Like all active lighthouses the New Cape Bowling Green Light station is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on a lease in the Cape Bowling Green NP which is administered by the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service.