- Clarence River Light
-
Clarence River Light 
Clarence River Lighthose 
Location Yamba, New South Wales, Australia Coordinates 29°25′56.88″S 153°21′50.37″E / 29.4324667°S 153.3639917°ECoordinates: 29°25′56.88″S 153°21′50.37″E / 29.4324667°S 153.3639917°E Year first constructed 1866 Year first lit 1955 Construction concrete Tower shape round, fluted sides, lantern, gallery Markings / pattern white Height 56 feet (17 m)[1] Focal height 135 feet (41 m) Intensity 22,000 cd Range 16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi)[2] Characteristic Fl.(3)W. 15s
F.Bu.Admiralty number K2818 NGA number 111-5920 ARLHS number AUS-058 Clarence River Light, also known as Yamba Light or Clarence Head Light, is an active lighthouse located on Pilot Hill, a hill in Wooli Park, Yamba, New South Wales, Australia, south of the entrance of Clarence River. The current lighthouse was built in 1955, replacing a previous lighthouse built in 1880.[3] It serves as the rear range light for two different ranges.[4]
Contents
History
Old lighthouse
Plans for the lighthouse, as drawn in 1878 by James Barnet
The original 1880 Clarence River Lighthouse with keeper's cottage to the left.The first light on Pilot Hill was most probably a platform with a kerosene lamp, located on the eastern part of the hill. The first actual structure was a small wooden hut built in 1866 with a large kerosene lamp placed on a bench. It was located where the 1880 lighthouse was later built, at 29°26′1.16″S 153°21′44.26″E / 29.4336556°S 153.3622944°E.[3] The mast from this lighthouse is on display at the Story House Museum in Yamba.[4]
In 1878 tenders were called for a permanent lighthouse, one of five lighthouses of similar design designed by James Barnet in 1878-80, the other four being Fingal Head Light, Crowdy Head Light, Tacking Point Lighthouse and Richmond River Light. It was built by W. Kinnear at a cost of £1,097, and construction was completed in 1880.[3]
Like the other four lighthouses, it was a rather short tower, about 7 metres (23 ft) high, with a roofed porch connecting it to a rectangular annexe. It was visible for 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi). A keeper's cottage was also constructed near-by.[3]
In 1920 the lighthouse was automated and demanned.[3]
In 1934 the Pacific Hotel was built in Yamba,[5] and the light was somewhat obscured. In addition a water reservoir was to be built at the location. A new lighthouse was built in 1955, and the old lighthouse was demolished in 1956.[3]
After the reservoir was demolished in 1980, volunteers built a replica of the lighthouse at the original location, but without the lantern. It is currently owned and houses the Yamba Community Radio Station 2TLC.[3][4]
Current lighthouse
Plans for the new tower, 1951The new lighthouse was built in 1955 from concrete in a modern style. The apparatus from the old lighthouse was transferred.[3]
The current light source is a FA-251 beacon with a 12 Volt 75 Watt quartz halogen lamp, supplying a light intensity of 22,000 cd[3] and visible for 16 nautical miles (30 km).[2] The power source is a battery charged from the mains electricity.[3] The current characteristic is three white flashes every 15 seconds (Fl.(3)W. 15s).[6] It also shows a fixed blue light (F.Bu.) which serves as a rear light for the North Channel Range Front Light at -131° (NGA 5945, Admiralty K2822, showing Iso.Bu. 2s).[6]
Site operation and visiting
The light is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, white the site is managed by the New South Wales Department of Lands. The grounds are open and accessible to the public, and parking is available close-by. The tower itself is closed.[4]
See also
- List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Australia
Notes
- ^ According to List of Lights. Lighthouses of Australia Inc says 18 m. Rowett says "17 m (60 ft)", which seems like an illogical mix of the two.
- ^ a b According to List of Lights. Lighthouses of Australia Inc says 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
- ^ a b c d Rowlett.
- ^ "Pacific Hotel Yamba". pacifichotelyamba.com.au. http://www.pacifichotelyamba.com.au/. Retrieved 24 September 2010. "...since it was built in 1934..."
- ^ a b List of Lights
References
- (PDF) List of Lights, Pub. 111, The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans. List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2009. p. 121. http://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/NIMA_LOL/Pub111/Pub111bk.pdf.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: New South Wales". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/nsw.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- "The Clarence River Lighthouse at Yamba". Lighthouses of New South Wales. Lighthouses of Australia Inc. http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/NSW/Clarence%20River/Clarence%20River.htm.
External links
- Searle, Garry. "Clarence Head". Lighthouses of New South Wales. SeaSide Lights. http://www.seasidelights.com.au/au/NSW/clarenceriver.asp?fState=NSW.
Lighthouses of New South Wales and Jervis Bay Territory North Coast Fingal Head • Cape Byron • Richmond River • Clarence River • North Solitary Island • South Solitary Island • Smoky Cape • Tacking Point • Crowdy Head • Sugarloaf Point • Nelson Head • Point Stephens • Nobbys Head • Norah Head
Outside Sydney Harbour Inside Sydney Harbour Grotto Point • Bradleys Head • Fort Denison • Robertson Point • Parriwi Head • Eastern Channel • Western Channel • Vaucluse Bay - Front • Vaucluse Bay - Rear • Shark IslandSouth Coast Wollongong Head • Wollongong Breakwater • Kiama • Crookhaven Heads • Point Perpendicular • Cape St George • Warden Head • Burrewarra Point • Montague Island • Green CapeSee also: List of lighthouses and lightvessels in AustraliaCategories:- Buildings and structures completed in 1955
- Lighthouses in New South Wales
- Buildings and structures completed in 1866
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
