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History & Information |
Photographs | Map
and Access Details |
Links
HISTORY & INFORMATION
For many 19th Century immigrants, Cape
Otway was the first land sighted after leaving Britain five months and 15,500 km earlier.
The 84 kilometre gap between Cape Wickham on King Island and Cape Otway is known as the
"Eye of the Needle", and is the Western entrance to Bass Strait. Due to concern over shipwrecks on the Bass Strait coast and King
Island, pressure was exerted on the government to build a lighthouse at Cape Otway.
Construction was begun by a local contractor in 1846. Access was a problem in establishing
the lighthouse and after three attempts the Cape was finally reached by land. A
site was selected and after great difficulty a road was cut. Construction was taken over
by the government in 1847 and completed in 1848.
The lighthouse is constructed of sandstone quarried from
Parker River 5 kilometres away, is 20 metres high and sits on a cliff 100m above sea
level. It was the second lighthouse constructed on mainland Australia.
Initially it had 21 parabolic reflectors, each with its
own wick burning sperm whale oil. These were rotated by clockwork and it gave a single
flash lasting 3 seconds every 53 seconds, which threw a beam 22 kilometres. Kerosene was
later used to keep the light burning. Later changes included diesel generators,
electricity, radio and global positioning satellites.
In 1859, one of the earliest telegraph stations in
Australia was added to the facility, soon connecting Tasmania to the mainland through Cape
Otway and Melbourne.
The Cape Otway Lighthouse was the oldest operational
lighthouse with unbroken service on the mainland Australian coast until it was
decommissioned in January 1994, with the introduction of satellite navigation systems,
including a small solar powered beacon. At the beginning of 1997, the Lightstation
was leased to a local company, to operate for tours and accommodation. Cape Otway
celebrated 150 years of existence in August 1998.
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Tower light operation prior to deactivation
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| Location: |
38°51'S
143°31'E |
| Nearest Town: |
Apollo
Bay |
| Operator: |
Australian
Maritime Safety Authority |
| Built: |
1848 |
| First Lit: |
29
August 1848 |
| Automated: |
1993 |
| Deactivated: |
January
1994 |
| Structure: |
Round
sandstone tower, painted white |
| Open
to public: |
Yes
- entry fee |
| Access: |
Sealed
road |
| Accommodation: |
Yes
- Lighthouse Keepers buildings |
|
|
| Character: |
Triple
flash every 18 seconds |
Lens:
|
First
Order Fresnel Chance Bros
920mm focal radius catadioptric
1 revolution every 90 seconds
Mercury float |
| Light
source: |
1000W/120V
3000hr life tungsten halogen |
| Power
source: |
Mains
with diesel standby |
| Intensity: |
White
1,000,000 CD Red 4,000 CD |
| Height: |
20
metres |
| Elevation: |
91
metres |
| Range: |
46
kilometres white light
39 kilometres red light |
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|
|
|
|
|
New GRP beacon
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|
| Location: |
38°51'S
143°31'E |
| Nearest Town: |
Apollo
Bay |
| Operator: |
Australian
Maritime Safety Authority |
| Built: |
1994 |
| First Lit: |
1994 |
| Structure: |
GRP hut |
| Open
to public: |
As
above |
| Access: |
As
above |
| Accommodation: |
As
above |
|
|
| Character: |
Triple
flash every 18 seconds |
| Beacon:
|
PRB 46
1 revolution every 36
seconds |
| Light
source: |
36W, 12V, Tungsten
Halogen, 500 hr life |
| Power
source: |
12V supply powered by
solar panels and batteries |
| Intensity: |
87,000
CD |
| Height: |
2
metres |
| Elevation: |
73 metres |
| Range: |
35
kilometres white light
28 kilometres red light |
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Sources:
* Parks Victoria
* Lighthouses of Australia Inc
* Totaltravel.com: Cape Otway Lighthouse
* Lighthouses:
Australia
* Howes, M. et al (1999) "Victoria's National Parks - Explorer's Guide",
See Australia Guides Pty Ltd
* Reid, G. (1988) "From Dusk to Dawn: A History of Australian Lighthouses",
AGPS
* Ibbotson, J. (2001) "Lighthouses of Australia: Images from
the End of an Era", Australian Lighthouse Traders
 PHOTOGRAPHS
Photographed by K. Eggleston, 29 December 1999 © Kristie
Eggleston
MAP & ACCESS
DETAILS
 The Cape Otway Lighthouse is located
about 200 km south-west of Melbourne, via the Great Ocean Road. Refer to regional map at
Wilmap
for greater map detail. |
Access
The road leading to the
Lighthouse is sealed, and there are toilet facilities, a kiosk, walking
tracks, and interpretive signs and other information. An entry fee into
the lightstation is charged.
The lightstation, with its accompanying
facilities, is operated by Tourism Great Ocean Road Pty Ltd, a private
organisation. Accommodation is also available in the Lighthouse
Keepers buildings.
Cape Otway Lightstation
PO Box 41
APOLLO BAY VIC 3233
Telephone: (03) 5237 9240
Facsimile: (03) 5237 9245
Website: www.lightstation.com
Email: keeper@lightstation.com
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LINKS
Page
last updated: 29 December 2003 Copyright © 1999-2003 Kristie Eggleston. All rights
reserved.
Email: kristie_eggleston@hotmail.com
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