Point King Lighthouse

Point King Lighthouse was a lighthouse located on the northern entrance to Princess Royal Harbour in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Point King Lighthouse
Point King Lighthouse
Western Australia
LocationPrincess Royal Harbour, Albany, Western Australia
Coordinates35°02′06.1″S 117°55′05.7″E
Year first constructed1858 (first)
Year first lit1911 (second)
Automated1913[1]
Deactivated1911 (first)
Constructionwooden tower (first)
skeletal tower (second)
steel (current)
Tower shapecylindrical tower with balcony and beacon (current)
Markings / patternwhite tower
Tower height9 metres (30 ft)
Focal height42 metres (138 ft)
Light sourcesolar power
Range12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)[2]
CharacteristicFI W 3s
Admiralty numberK1802
NGA number8840
ARLHS numberAUS-279
Managing agentCity of Albany[3]
TypeState Registered Place
Designated13 December 1996
Reference no.3212

The lighthouse was the first navigational light for the Port of Albany and the second lighthouse to be built on the West Australian coastline.[4]

History

Following the end of the Crimean War in 1856, a return of the profitable mail boat service from England, via Albany, to the eastern states was anticipated and the need for a lighthouse into the harbour was foreseen.[5]

The British Government proposed to construct two lighthouses in the area in 1857, one on Breaksea Island and the other at Point King, on the understanding that the local government met the running costs. Construction commenced shortly afterward and the prefabricated lights arrived in June; the project was completed later in the year and the lighthouse commenced operating on New Years Day in 1858 with William Hill employed as the light keeper.[6]

The original lighthouse consisted of the keeper's house situated 47 feet (14 m) above the high water mark on the granite point. The building had a 17 feet (5 m) high square wooden tower equipped with an oil-fired light visible from 12 miles (19 km) away. The light was operated manually and the keeper lived in the dwelling where the tower was housed.[4]

The lighthouse was made redundant in June 1911.[4] The building remained unused for many years with the roof and tower lost many years ago. In 1995 a conservation plan was prepared but by 1999 no work had been carried out.[5]

In 2011 the Albany City Council set aside A$20,000 to stabilize the ruins.[7]

Keepers
  • Joseph Nelson 1857-1867
  • Samuel Mitchell 1867-1903
  • John Reddin 1903–1911[8]
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See also
  • Point King Lighthouse 2007
  • Lighthouse in 2008

References
  1. Point King Lighthouse amazingalbany
  2. Point King Lighthouse Albany Gateway
  3. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Western Australia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  4. "Point King lighthouse". Albany Gateway. 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  5. "Point King Lighthouse Ruin". inHerit. City of Albany. 3 August 1995. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  6. "Point King Lighthouse". Albany City Council. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  7. "Albany Region - Lighthouses". Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  8. Point King Lighthouse Albany Gateway
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