Macquarie Lighthouse
Macquarie Lighthouse, Dunbar Head
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 Location in New South Wales
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| Location |
Vaucluse New South Wales Australia |
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| Coordinates | 33°51′14.2″S 151°17′06.6″E / 33.853944°S 151.285167°ECoordinates: 33°51′14.2″S 151°17′06.6″E / 33.853944°S 151.285167°E |
| Year first constructed | 1818 (first) |
| Year first lit | 1883 (current) |
| Automated | 1976 |
| Construction | sandstone tower |
| Tower shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern atop service building |
| Markings / pattern | white tower and lantern |
| Height | 26 metres (85 ft) |
| Focal height | 105 metres (344 ft) |
| Original lens | 1st order sixteen sided Fresnel lens (1883) |
| Current lens | 1st order bivalve Fresnel lens (1933) |
| Intensity | 800,000 candela |
| Range | 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl (2) W 10s. |
| Admiralty number | K2632 |
| NGA number | 111-6316 |
| ARLHS number | AUS-218 |
The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, was the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. It is located on Dunbar Head, Vaucluse, about 2 kilometres (1 mi) south of South Head) near the entrance to Sydney Harbour. There has been a navigational aid in this vicinity since 1791 and a lighthouse near the present site since 1818. The current lighthouse was completed in 1883.
The lighthouse is still fully operational and is under the control of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The grounds are managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
The lighthouse is featured on the arms of Macquarie University. In 2008, the University introduced an official logo, described as an 'abstract, timeless image' of water lilies, as its public visual identity; use of the arms was subsequently restricted to official documents such as graduation testamurs and legal documentation.
In 1791 and within one year of the arrival of the First Fleet, a flagstaff was erected on the site. This was followed, in 1793, by a tripod mounted iron basket which originally burned wood, and later coal.
On 11 July 1816 the foundation for the first lighthouse was laid by Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales, who called it Macquarie Tower. It was designed by Francis Greenway, a famous convict architect, under the instructions of Macquarie, and built in soft sandstone. The lighthouse was first lit on 30 November 1818.
The soft sandstone proved short-lived, and even as early as 1823 it started crumbling, and large steel bands were placed to keep the structure together. By 1878 the NSW Government decided a new tower was needed. The construction of the new tower started in 1881, just 4 metres (13 ft) away from the original structure. It was officially lit in 1883.
The new lighthouse was designed by James Barnet in a design similar to the original tower, albeit built in stronger materials. The crown and the lantern room were larger so a larger apparatus can be accommodated. Also added was a black gunmetal railing, which was to become one of Barnet's hallmarks.
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Wikipedia