Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
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 Victoria
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| Location |
Entrance to Port Phillip Bay Victoria Australia |
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| Coordinates | 38°17′31″S 144°36′50″E / 38.29194°S 144.61389°ECoordinates: 38°17′31″S 144°36′50″E / 38.29194°S 144.61389°E |
| Year first lit | 20 March 1902 |
| Automated | 1999 |
| Construction | concrete tower on octagonal prism signal station and observation room |
| Tower shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white tower and black lantern and dome |
| Height | 21.3 metres (70 ft) |
| Focal height | 36.6 metres (120 ft) |
| Range | 22 kilometres (14 mi) (white light) 19 kilometres (12 mi) (red light) |
| Characteristic | Fl (2) W 15s. (horizontal beam) |
| Admiralty number | K2194 |
| NGA number | 7460 |
| ARLHS number | AUS-222 |
| Managing agent | Port of Melbourne Corporation |
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse, also known as the Point Lonsdale Signal Station, is close to the township of Point Lonsdale in the Borough of Queenscliffe, Victoria, Australia. It stands at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula, on the western side of the entrance to Port Phillip from Bass Strait, on a headland overlooking the "Rip", a stretch of water considered one of the ten most treacherous navigable passages in the world, and the only seaborne approach to Melbourne. It is operated by the Victorian Channels Authority, part of the Port of Melbourne Corporation.
The lighthouse was designed by the Victorian Public Works Department and erected by the contractors Coates Brothers. It is of a traditional design consisting of a cylindrical tower and capital, similar to many late nineteenth century Victorian lighthouses, such as the earlier Point Hicks Lighthouse. It is built of reinforced concrete and surmounted by a Chance Brothers lantern. The original oil lamp of the light was first replaced with an acetylene light and later an electric light. Surrounding its base is the octagonal, two-storey, brick signal station and observation room. Halfway up the tower is a cantilevered platform supporting red and green navigation lights.
The first navigation aid at Point Lonsdale was a signal station erected in 1852. In 1856 a red pillar beacon was built. In 1863 the original Queenscliff Low Light, a prefabricated wooden structure, was re-erected at Point Lonsdale and painted with distinctive black and red bands. It used a temporary light until a permanent light was lit in 1867. It was replaced by the current concrete tower in 1902, with the wooden tower dismantled and cut up for firewood in 1912.
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