Fort Denison Light

Fort Denison Light, also known as Pinchgut Light, is an active lighthouse located on top of a Martello Tower at Fort Denison, a former penal site and defensive facility occupying a small island in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The island is located downstream from the Harbour Bridge near Potts Point and the Royal Botanic Gardens. The fort is also known as "Pinchgut" lending its name to the light.

Fort Denison's lantern, bell and solar panel

Fort Denison Light
Fort Denison Light, 2006
New South Wales
LocationFort Denison
New South Wales
Australia
Coordinates33°51′16.64″S 151°13′33.69″E
Year first constructed1913
FoundationMartello Tower
Tower shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / patternwhite tower and black lantern
Tower height20 feet (6.1 m)[1]
Focal height61 feet (19 m)
Range5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi)
CharacteristicFl (4) W 15s.
Fog signalbell, continuous[2]
Admiralty numberK2666
NGA number111-6224
ARLHS numberAUS-235
Managing agentSydney Harbour National Park

History

The lantern and light, built in Birmingham, England, were added on top of the Martello Tower in 1913, replacing an 8 inches (20 cm) gun. The original light source was an acetylene gas carbide lamp, and it was converted to electricity by 1926. The station also includes a tide gauge, established in the mid-19th century, navigation channel markers, and a fog bell.

Renovation

On 30 October 2003, the entire lightroom structure was removed for renovation. As the National Parks and Wildlife Service curator Stephen Thompson said an airlift was the safest way, the lantern was transported to shore by a helicopter in a sling. Renovation took place at a workshop in the nearby St Peters. The entire operation was coordinated by National Parks, the Sydney Ports corporation and Australian Defence Industries.

For the renovation the structure was disassembled, paint was removed and new steel patches were welded onto corroded areas. A replica base ring was fabricated and hot riveted into place. The surface was then painted and treated against corrosion.

On 20 May 2004, the lantern was returned by helicopter and reinstalled.

Site operation

The light is managed by the Sydney Ports corporation. The site is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water since 1992, as part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

Visiting

The island is accessible by boat. It is open for guided tours for a fee, requiring reservation. The tower is now open to the public.

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See also

Media related to Fort Denison Light at Wikimedia Commons

References and notes
  1. According to The Lighthouse Directory. 15ft according to "SeaSide Lights".
  2. According to List of Lights and The Lighthouse Directory. Lighthouse Digest and Australia's audio and visual heritage online list a foghorn.
  • 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. 2009. p. 127.
  • Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: New South Wales". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  • Searle, Garry. "Fort Denison". Lighthouses of New South Wales. SeaSide Lights.
  • "Sydney's Fort Denison Light Restored". Lighthouse Digest. The Lighthouse Depot. October 2004. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  • "Australia Today – Fort Denison (Pinchgut): A Relic of Early Sydney (1939)". Australia's audio and visual heritage online. National Film & Sound Archive. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
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