Cowan Cowan Point Light

Cowan Cowan Point Light, was also known as Cowan Cowan Light or Cowan Point Light, was located on Cowan Cowan Point, on the western shore of Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia.

Cowan Cowan Point Light

Cowan Cowan Point Light in 1899
Queensland
Location	Moreton Island Queensland Australia
Coordinates	27.13655°S 153.36282°E / -27.13655; 153.36282
Year first constructed	1860s (first) 1874 (second)
Automated	1950
Construction	wooden tower
Tower shape	hexagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	white tower and red lantern dome
Tower height	5.5 feet (1.7 m), from 1867 10 feet (3.0 m)
Focal height	9 metre
Light source	acetylene in 1950
Range	12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
Characteristic	Fl WRG 2s
Admiralty number	K2859
NGA number	5844
ARLHS number	AUS-295

History

The first settlement at the point was a pilot station, moved from Amity Point in August 1848. The pilot station was later moved to Bulwer. The first lighthouse was constructed in the early 1860s, a 18 feet (5.5 m) wooden tower.[1][2] It carried a large kerosene burner with a reflector[1] and showed a fixed white light.[2] In 1867, together with the construction of the Comboyuro Point Light tower, the tower was extended to 34 feet (10 m).[1]

In 1873 it was decided that the tower should be upgraded again. The new lighthouse was constructed in 1874 by the brothers John and Jacob Rooney of Maryborough, who already constructed Sandy Cape Light in 1870.[3] The Rooney brother also constructed Lady Elliot Island Light[3] around the same time, and the same lantern plan was used for both lighthouses.[4] They later constructed Cape Bowling Green Light in 1874,[3] Cape Capricorn Light in 1875,[3] and finally Booby Island Light in 1890.[5] The apparatus was also upgraded and the old apparatus was installed on the old Comboyuro Point tower which was moved to Burnett Heads and is now known as the Old Burnett Heads Light.[6] The light was intensified in 1883 by installed condensing prisms.[1] Further construction is reported in 1899, though no details exist.[7]

Coastal erosion problems were reported as early as 1898.[8] In 1901 the tower and the cottage were moved 635 feet (194 m) inland to protect them from the aforementioned erosion.[1] A 1909 listing describes the tower as a wooden tower, carrying a fixed fourth order dioptric apparatus. The light was showing red and white sectors, and was visible for 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi).[9]

In 1909 the pilot station at Bulwer was closed except for a remaining signal station. In 1912 this signal station was moved to Cowan Cowan. For part of its lifetime, the signal station was operated by the Cowan Cowan light keeper. In 1950 the light was converted to acetylene gas, automated, and demanned.[10]

The List of Lights lists an active light at the site, a square metal tower, which also serves as a daymark, with orange yellow squares on the northwest and southwest faces. The light, displayed at a focal height of 30 feet (9.1 m), is a flash every two seconds, white, red or green, depending on the direction (Fl.W.R.G. 2s), visible for 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi). Green is shown on 345°−016°30′, red is shown on 016°30′−048°30′, 055°−132° and 141°−188° while white is displayed on 048°30′−055° and 132°−141°. The light is partially obscured by trees on 165°−188°.[11]

See also

• List of lighthouses in Australia

References

1. Richard Walding. "Moreton Island RAN7 Indicator Loop Station and Fort Cowan Cowan". indicatorloops.com. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
2. Findlay, Alexander G. (1877). A directory for the navigation of the South Pacific Ocean. R. H. Laurie. p. 885.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. "Sandy Cape Lightstation (listing QLD601712)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
4. "Lady Elliot Island - Cowan Cowan". National Archives of Australia. 1784. also at Wikimedia Commons File:Lantern Detail - Lady Elliot Island and Cowan Cowan, 1874.jpg
5. "Booby Island Lightstation (listing QLD601724)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
6. Davenport, Winifred (1986). Harbours & Marine: Port and Harbour Development in Queensland from 1824 to 1985. Brisbane: Department of Harbours & Marine. p. 169.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
7. "Moreton Bay History" (PDF). Tangalooma Island Resort. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2011.
8. WBM Oceanics Australia (2002). "Chapter 3.9 Hydrodynamic Environment". Moreton Bay Sand Extraction Study Phase 1 Final Report (PDF). pp. 3–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
9. Knibbs, G. H. (1909). Official year book of the Commonwealth of Australia. Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Australian Bureau of Statistics. p. 669.
10. "Signal Station (former) (entry 601097)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
11. 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 (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2010. p. 121.