Gantheaume Point Lighthouse is located 7km south of Broome marking the entrance to Roebuck Bay and has guided vessels through the treacherous waters of the northwest coast for over a century, serving the bustling pearling industry that defined Broome’s early prosperity.

The lighthouse has evolved through four distinct iterations since its establishment, each reflecting the technological advances and changing maritime needs of the region. Named after French Admiral Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume by explorer Nicolas Baudin during his 1801 expedition to map Australia’s coastline, the point itself offers spectacular views where ancient Broome Sandstone meets the sea, creating a dramatic backdrop for this important navigational waypoint.

The first lighthouse was established by the Western Australian government in July 1905 following sustained lobbying by traders and pearling masters who needed reliable navigation for the increasingly busy waters serving Broome’s thriving pearl shell industry. This initial installation was a temporary structure using a steel tripod previously deployed at South Molle and Fremantle, displaying a fixed white light from its fourth-order dioptric lens positioned 56 feet above high water.

Within a year, concerns emerged about the fixed light’s safety, as seamen found it difficult to distinguish from the lights of stationary ships. In response, authorities installed a new oscillating flashing light in 1906 to resolve this dangerous ambiguity.

The second lighthouse, constructed in 1910, represented a more permanent commitment to the station. The Public Works Department erected a 30-foot pyramidal steel tower with a service room beneath the lantern, changing the light’s character to occulting, where the periods of illumination exceeded the periods of darkness. The steelwork was supplied by Perth firm Bela Makutz, the same company that would later provide materials for Cape Leveque Lighthouse in 1911. This second tower commenced operations on 11 May 1910.

A lighthouse keeper’s cottage was built alongside the original 1905 lighthouse to house the station keeper and their family. This residence served the isolated posting until 1922 when advancing technology rendered the keeper’s constant presence unnecessary. Control of the lighthouse transferred from state to federal authority in 1915, and in 1922 the light was converted from kerosene to automatic acetylene operation, allowing the keeper to be withdrawn. The keeper’s cottage was eventually sold to local identity Patrick Percy, and its ruins can still be seen near the point today.

The second tower served mariners faithfully for over five decades until 1962, when it was replaced by a steel lattice structure with a new lantern. This third incarnation lasted just over two decades before demolition in 1985.

The current and fourth lighthouse was erected in 1983 as a stainless steel lattice tower standing 27 metres high. Modern and efficient, it operates on mains electricity and continues its vital role guiding vessels along this remote stretch of coastline. The light flashes white every ten seconds, visible for 18 nautical miles across the waters where dinosaur footprints over 130 million years old can still be seen in the reef rock at low tide.

Today, Gantheaume Point Lighthouse operates under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, maintaining its unbroken service to maritime navigation while the surrounding area has become one of Broome’s most popular natural attractions. Visitors flock to witness the spectacular sunsets where red cliffs meet turquoise waters, explore the dinosaur trackways, and visit nearby Anastasia’s Pool, a rock pool lovingly modified by an early lighthouse keeper for his arthritic wife to bathe in the healing saltwater.

The lighthouse stands as a reminder of Broome’s pearling heritage and the mariners who navigated these waters in pursuit of the lustrous mother-of-pearl shell that brought fortune and tragedy to this remote northwest outpost.

It is worth noting that a secondary sister light was constructed on Cape Bossut lighthouse 20kn to the south in 1913 but this light was unmanned and the responsibility of the Gantheaume Point keepers and decommissioned and demolished in 1994.

Technical Specifications:

First Exhibited: July 1905
Status: Active (Automated 1922)
Location: Gantheaume Point, 7km south of Broome, Western Australia
Named After: French Admiral Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume (named by Nicolas Baudin, 1801)
Construction Timeline:

• First lighthouse: 1905 (temporary steel tripod)
• Second lighthouse: 1910 (pyramidal steel tower)
• Third lighthouse: 1962 (steel lattice tower)
• Current lighthouse: 1983 (stainless steel lattice tower)

Construction Material: Stainless steel lattice tower with white NAL-1 lantern
Tower Height: 24 metres from ground level
Elevation: 33 metres above sea level
Keeper Accommodation: Cottage built 1905, used until automation in 1922 (later sold privately)

Original Light Source (1905): Kerosene-powered fourth-order dioptric lens
Original Light Source (1910): Occulting kerosene light
1922 Conversion: Automatic acetylene operation
Current Light Source: 12V, 35W C8 Halogen lamp
Current Optic: Vega VRB-25
Current Light: 63,155 candela intensity, visible 18 nautical miles (nominal range)
Light Characteristic: White flash every 10 seconds (Fl.W. 10s)
Power Source: 240V AC Mains electricity

Current Operator: Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)
Heritage Status: Western Australian Heritage listing

Notable Keepers:

• Sven Peter Anderson: July 1905 – late 1915/early 1916
• Charles James Abercrombie: Assistant (in charge), by 31 August 1916
• Ernest Murray MacDonald: Assistant (in charge), by November 1916 – October 1917

Notable Features:

• One of ten lighthouses built on Western Australia’s coast between 1900 and 1913
• Four successive lighthouse structures on same location
• First automated Western Australian lighthouse (1922)
• Original keeper’s cottage ruins still visible
• Located above dramatic red sandstone cliffs
• Adjacent to 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints
• Near Anastasia’s Pool, created by lighthouse keeper for his wife
• Popular sunset viewing location
• Southern marker for approach to Roebuck Bay and Broome
• Served the historic pearling industry

Access: Lighthouse grounds open year-round; the tower is not open to public
Coordinates: 17° 58.449′ S, 122° 10.647′ E