Cliffy Island Lighthouse

The Cliffy Island Lighthouse is located atop Cliffy Island, a steep-sided island which is the summit of a granite submarine mountain in the Bass Strait. Cliffy Island is located about 32 kilometres directly south of Port Albert, and roughly 38 kilometres to the northeast of Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse in Victoria, Australia. The lighthouse warns approaching vessels of rocks in Bass Strait by emitting a flash of white light every five seconds. The focal plane of the lightsource and Fresnel lens is situated 52 metres above sea level.[4] The site is managed by the Victoria Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, while the lighthouse itself is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The island is accessible only by helicopter, and the entire site is closed to the public.[1]

Cliffy Island Lighthouse
Cliffy Island Lighthouse, 1917
Victoria
LocationBass Strait
17 nmi S of Port Albert, Victoria
Australia
Coordinates38°57′02.6″S 146°42′20.5″E
Year first constructed1884[1]
Automated1971
Foundationgranite basement
Constructiongranite tower
Tower shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternunpainted tower, white lantern and gallery
Tower height12 metres (39 ft)
Focal height52 metres (171 ft)
Original lensFresnel lens
Light sourcesolar power
Intensity15,300 cd
Range18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 5s.
Admiralty numberK2500
NGA number7204
ARLHS numberA US-059[2]
Managing agentAustralian Maritime Safety Authority[3]

History

Cliffy Island lighthouse was constructed on site in 1884 from granite quarried on the island. In addition to the lighthouse, there was a stone cottage for the head lighthouse keeper and his family. This structure was nearly identical to the one at Cape Nelson (they were both built in the same year, probably from the same set of blueprints). There was also a duplex wooden structure that served as the residence of the two assistant keepers and their families.[5] The keeper's houses were demolished in 1971, when the lighthouse was automated; the stone walls that surrounded the houses remain.[1]

Adjacent Lighthouses

See also

References
  1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Victoria". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Tasmania". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  3. Cliffy Island Lighthouse çoghthouses of Australia Inc:
  4. Macdonald MS (2003). "Lighthouses of Victoria: The Cliffy Island Lighthouse". Knox City, Victoria: Lighthouses of Australia Inc. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  5. Breen W (2006). "Memories of Cliffy Island". Lighthouses of Australia Inc. Bulletin. 9 (6). Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2011.

Further reading
  • Diving Australia by Peter Stone
  • From Dusk Till Dawn by Gordon Reid
  • The Lighthouses of Victoria by Dacre Smyth
  • The Melbourne Truth
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