The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is the Commonwealth agency responsible for coastal aids to navigation (AtoN). This AtoN network includes a number of heritage lighthouses which continue to operate as critical aids for mariners at sea. Management of these heritage places is outlined in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Cth (EPBC Act) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 Cth (EPBC Regulations).

Section 341ZA of the EPBC Act requires AMSA to prepare a written heritage strategy for managing the places to protect and conserve their Commonwealth Heritage values, and give a copy of the strategy to the Minister.

The EPBC Act also obliges AMSA to:

• take all reasonable steps to assist the Minister and the Australian Heritage Council in the identification, assessment and monitoring of the place’s Commonwealth Heritage values (Section 341Z);
• review this heritage strategy at least once in every three year period (section 341ZA(5));
• give the Minister a written report of the review (section 341ZA(6));
• produce a register that sets out, for each place it owns or controls, the Commonwealth Heritage values(if any) of that place (section 341ZB);
• minimise adverse impacts on places of heritage value (section 341ZC); and
• provide for the protection of the Commonwealth Heritage value of places when they are sold or leased (section 341ZE).

This Heritage Strategy is intended to guide AMSA in the management of the sites of cultural and natural heritage value for which it is responsible. This Strategy replaces the existing AMSA Heritage Strategy 2018 prepared by AMSA.

AMSA’s organisational planning cycle and associated budgeting process is used to allocate funding and manage delivery of maintenance activities at heritage places. Detailed planning for AMSA’s AtoN is managed through the Response Division planning process.

AMSA is a Corporate Commonwealth Entity subject to the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 Cth. AMSA reports to the Australian Parliament and Government through the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. The AMSA Board, which is responsible for deciding the Authority’s objectives, strategies and policies, includes AMSA’s Chief Executive Officer. Other members are drawn from private industry and government and bring appropriate skills and expertise to the conduct of AMSA’s important safety maritime activities.

As part of its functions, AMSA holds responsibility for the provision of aids to navigation necessary for ocean and coastal navigation. The costs of providing and maintaining the AMSA aids to navigation network are met by the commercial shipping industry through the marine navigation levy under the Marine Navigation Levy Act 1989 Cth.

Commonwealth management of ocean and coastal navigation can be traced back to 1915 when the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service (CLS) was formed.

AMSA currently has 62 lighthouse sites on its Heritage Register – a database that records heritage management information within entries for each site with identified values. A number of these lighthouses have been in continuous service for over 150 years. In Australia, it is rare to have 19th century industrial buildings still maintaining their original function. Some of these lights are in remote places such as North Reef, which is approximately 120 kilometres northeast of Gladstone, in Queensland, while others form an integral part of a town’s fabric and identity such as Cape Byron in NSW.

The Australian Maritime Safety Act 1990 Cth outlines AMSA’s responsibility in keeping Australia’s seas safe and clean, and providing search and rescue services. All AMSA heritage sites are actively used for AMSA’s core business, the provision of maritime safety services. AMSA recognises it has responsibilities under the various Acts and that the upkeep of heritage assets in public ownership are important to the Australian community in general.

AMSA outsources the maintenance of its aids to navigation network, including heritage assets. Capital works are funded and delivered as required. Over the next three years, AMSA expects to budget approximately $12 million per year for maintenance and $7 million per year for capital works across its aids to navigation network.

AMSA is committed to identifying, protecting, conserving and preserving its cultural and natural heritage significance for current and future generations.

AMSA has set priorities for the management of the heritage it is responsible for. These are:

• developing and reviewing Heritage Management Plans to guide the operation, modification and
• maintenance of sites of Commonwealth heritage value;
• maintaining the various aids to navigation within the guidelines of the Heritage Management Plans;
• ensuring that significant portable artefacts are appropriately catalogued and cared for;
• reviewing this AMSA Heritage Strategy every three years in accordance with statutory regulations;
• assessing AMSA properties for possible Commonwealth heritage values;
• maintaining and reviewing AMSA’s Heritage Register; and
• monitoring performance

AMSA’s Heritage Strategy is based on the requirements outlined in the EPBC Act, and EPBC Regulations. The Strategy is also guided by other federal and state legislation. The following legislation places limitations and protective measures onto the sites already governed by lease agreements, state environment and heritage acts, and local government regulations.

Heritage conservation benefits AMSA and the Australian community in several ways.

• It contributes to valuing and preserving Australia’s maritime history which is so closely linked to the nation’s development.
• It provides another avenue for AMSA to actively engage with the Australian community to better promote
• its overall objectives of maritime safety and protection of the marine environment.
• It improves public access to maritime heritage structures, artefacts and information, in particular to historic lighthouses.
• It demonstrates that heritage objectives can effectively co-exist with an organisations business objectives.

7.1 Objectives

AMSA recognises its key objective is to maintain heritage assets. AMSA is responsible for identifying and managing heritage under its operation, and is committed to achieving this by:

• Complying with all relevant state, territory and Commonwealth legislation.
• Maintaining heritage assets in a manner which retains heritage significance, with the objective of preventing deterioration and avoiding the need for expensive ‘catch-up’ maintenance and major repairs.
• Conserving heritage assets in order to retain their heritage significance to the greatest extent feasible— the management of heritage assets should use the most appropriate knowledge, skills and standards for those places.
• Regularly monitoring and reporting on the physical condition of the heritage assets listed in the AMSA
• Heritage Register and taking appropriate action to ensure heritage significance is not eroded.

7.2 Key priorities

AMSA’s objective is to maintain its heritage assets by prioritising the following:

Priority 1

Prepare Heritage Management Plans for Commonwealth Heritage places under AMSA management.

Priority 2

Undertake assessment of AMSA properties for possible heritage values.

Priority 3

Maintain and strengthen relationships with other agencies and stakeholders.

Working closely with other organisations such as the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, and the Australian Heritage Council is essential in managing AMSA responsibilities.

7.3 Positions responsible for heritage matters

The Asset Management and Preparedness Section within the Response Division is the AMSA business unit responsible for heritage places.

In 2014, AMSA created a full time Heritage Coordinator position to reflect the growing importance of heritage matters both in AMSA and the general community.

The management and conservation of sites identified by the Heritage Strategy are the responsibility of the Manager, Asset Management and Preparedness.

The contact officer in the first instance is:

The Manager, Asset Management and Preparedness

Australian Maritime Safety Authority

GPO Box 2181, Canberra ACT 2601

Email: heritage@amsa.gov.au

8.1 Government agencies

AMSA recognises that communication with other government agencies, on a national, state and regional level is crucial in maintaining and conserving heritage places. Ongoing consultations with federal agencies, such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, are undertaken to assist in the management of places within their jurisdiction.

On-going consultation with the Heritage Branch of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment assists in the heritage and environmental management of AMSA’s heritage places.

Often AMSA heritage property is leased from bodies such as local governments or state agencies. Ongoing consultation with these relevant parties assists with the maintenance of AMSA’s heritage places, and also in considering the intangible significance of a heritage place.

Consultation is undertaken by Asset Management and Preparedness.

8.2 Community and Indigenous stakeholders

AMSA recognises that the heritage sites it manages attract considerable interest from local communities, and community organisations who have an interest in heritage matters which can be paramount in the maintenance and preservation of the aids to navigation. When making decisions that have a significant impact on heritage assets, AMSA endeavours to undertake consultation with local communities. This involvement assists in determining the heritage significance of a place outside of its formally recognised values and can reveal previously unknown information on a heritage place.

Indigenous people are the primary source of information about their heritage. Active participation of Indigenous people in the identification, assessment and management is integral to the effective protection of Indigenous cultural heritage. AMSA seeks to consult the community, including Indigenous community representatives.

The Asset Management and Preparedness Team can be contacted by the general public via the following platforms:

• Online at AMSA’s accessible public website
• By email to AMSA’s Heritage address: Heritage@amsa.gov.au
• By phone to AMSA’s customer service platform, AMSA Connect

When undertaking consultation for the preparation of its Heritage Management Plans, AMSA abides by the consultation requirements in the EPBC Act and ensures the draft plans are appropriately advertised for the specified period.

Community and Indigenous stakeholder consultation is undertaken by Asset Management and Preparedness.

9.1 Identification and assessment

AMSA recognises that, wherever feasible, all properties managed by the Authority are to be assessed for their heritage values on a regular basis. To achieve this, AMSA will undertake the following approach:

1. Identify places of heritage significance drawn from expert heritage and Traditional Stakeholder advice.
2. Investigate archival records and documentary sources to establish a history of the place.
3. Consult with relevant stakeholders for the place.
4. Collate information derived from consultation and documentary investigations within a Heritage Lighthouse Report, including a history of the site, current condition and identified significance.
5. Analyse place against Commonwealth Heritage Criteria (as set out in Section 10.03A of the EPBC Regulations) and describe any Commonwealth heritage values identified.

All AMSA Commonwealth-heritage listed sites had their Commonwealth heritage values evaluated in 2020-21 through the preparation process of drafting Heritage Management Plans. In some cases, it may be necessary for these assessments to be updated so that the Commonwealth heritage criteria are adequately addressed, and new information is evaluated. AMSA aims to have completed assessment of all sites within the next five years.

Where objects, collections or elements contribute to the significance of a place, the identification and assessment will follow the process set out in “A Guide to Assessing the Significance of Cultural Heritage Objects and Collections” and Articles 10 and 11 of the “Burra Charter”.

AMSA recognises that as a result of this assessment process sensitive or culturally restricted information may be discovered and that this should be treated as confidential.

9.2 Resolution of conflict

AMSA is aware that conflicts can arise concerning management of its heritage places and assessment of Commonwealth heritage values, in circumstances such as:

• Determining whether a heritage value exists or not.
• Deciding how different and potentially conflicting heritage values should translate into management priorities (for example, where natural and historic heritage values appear to conflict).
• Where conservation of heritage values conflicts with other interests (such as operational requirements for aids to navigation).

AMSA will try to resolve such conflicts by ensuring the following:

• Well-informed advice is sought regarding cultural heritage matters.
• Heritage Coordinator (Asset Management and Preparedness Team) is selected as mediator.
• Engagement with appropriate stakeholders is undertaken.
• Engagement with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, and Australian Heritage Council is undertaken where appropriate.

The AMSA Heritage Register is an internal electronic database that records operational and heritage management information on heritage places under AMSA management. AMSA finalised its Heritage Register in March 2021.

The register entries are reviewed on a regular basis by the AtoN Heritage Coordinator and amended when an event triggers changes relating to:

• key stakeholders
• the operational management of the site
• lease/licence agreements
• heritage register listings
• property access
• maintenance/capital works on site.

The date of when information has been last updated is recorded in each entry. A condensed Heritage Register is set out in tables on the following pages.

Notes on the abbreviations used in the Heritage Register table

Table 1 – Places listed in the AMSA Heritage Register

Western Australia

New South Wales

Victoria

Northern Territory

Tasmania

Queensland

South Australia

Table 2 – AMSA places listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List

Heritage Management Plans are prepared in a manner consistent with the Commonwealth heritage management principles in Schedule 7B of the EPBC Regulations and meet the requirements for management plans for Commonwealth heritage places in Schedule 7A of the Regulations. The plans generally follow a sequence from description, to analysis of operational requirements, to implementation. A plan typically has the following headings:

• introduction
• objectives
• history
• the site
• cultural significance
• fabric of the site
• operational requirements
• heritage management policies
• implementation plan.

At the time of publication, AMSA has completed Heritage Management Plans for the following Commonwealth heritage places:

• Cape Byron Lighthouse (CHL Place ID: 105599)
• Montague Island Lighthouse (CHL Place ID: 105601)
• Eddystone Point Lighthouse (CHL Place ID: 105565)

AMSA is currently preparing Heritage Management Plans for 19 other Commonwealth heritage places under its management (See Table 2 for list of AMSA’s Commonwealth Heritage places). Most of the remaining plans are at the consultation stage of their development. AMSA has prioritised the drafting of plans for Commonwealth heritage places and intends to deliver these remaining plans within the next 5 years.

Existing Heritage Management Plans will be reviewed and updated every 5 years or sooner if major changes to a lighthouse occur.

The preparation and review of Heritage Management Plans is undertaken by the AtoN Heritage Coordinator, and early consultation with relevant stakeholders is key to initial preparation efforts. The final products are reviewed by:

• key community stakeholders
• relevant State and local stakeholders
• Commonwealth Heritage Branch (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment)
• Australian Heritage Council

The final products are approved by:

• AMSA’s CEO
• Minister administering the EPBC Act

Consistent with the requirements of paragraph 341S (3) of the EPBC Act, when a draft heritage management plan has been prepared, a notice is published to advertise the fact. Each of these notices:

• includes a statement that AMSA has prepared a Heritage Management Plan
• advises that copies of the plan can be obtained from the AMSA website

In accordance with paragraph 341S (6) (a) of the EPBC Act, the Minister is then asked for advice on the proposed plan.

A Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights is also required and prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

12.1 Expected developments, disposals and other

There are currently development works planned to assist in the maintenance of Commonwealth heritage-listed places under AMSA’s management. Resources permitting, AMSA anticipates undertaking development on the following heritage sites over the next three years:

• Goods Island Lighthouse
• Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
• Cape Nelson Lighthouse
• Cape Northumberland Lighthouse
• Cape Moreton Lighthouse
• Low Head Lighthouse
• Eddystone Point Lighthouse
• Cape Byron Lighthouse
• Macquarie Lighthouse
• Gabo Island Lighthouse
• South Solitary Island Lighthouse

The proposed development work ranges from lead paint and asbestos removal, large-scale surface coating, and reparations to stonework and repointing. During the initial planning stage, all proposal work will be presented for assessment before the relevant heritage authorities so to ensure heritage values are not impacted.

There are currently no plans for the disposal or divestment of Commonwealth heritage-listed properties.

Whenever AMSA considers future development works, disposals/divestment, or other related proposals, the heritage values of a place are taken into consideration early in the planning process to ensure heritage values are not impacted or destroyed. This is achieved through:

• Self-assessment of the proposal to measure the likely impact of the proposal on the heritage values of the place, utilising tools such as Working Together: Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2019).
• Preparation of Heritage Impact Statement which addresses the place’s heritage values and outlines what measures are to be taken to reduce any impact.
• Consideration of the principles outlined within the Heritage Management Plan of the place (in situations where a Heritage Management Plan is not yet available, decisions will be consistent with the Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles, Sub-section 341V).
• Consideration of the proposal in the context of the referral provisions in the EPBC Act.
• Consultation with the Heritage Branch of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment on the proposal.
• Consultation with relevant State and Local heritage authorities on the proposal.

12.2 Maintenance and long-term conservation budget

The breakdown of costs estimates for the provision of navigational infrastructure for 2021-22 is as follows:

Heritage management of heritage assets is included within the above activity. Over the next three years, AMSA expects to budget approximately $12 million per year for maintenance and $7 million per year for capital works across its aids to navigation network.

12.3 Monitoring and reviewing Commonwealth heritage value conservation

The success of AMSA conserving the Commonwealth heritage values of places under its management is assessed through monitoring and review. Methodologies for the monitoring and review include inspections and their resulting reports, recommendations for management, and consultation with stakeholders.

Maintenance visits, and audit visits are scheduled by AMSA and ad-hoc visual inspections of the heritage values are also conducted by relevant AMSA representatives. Access Licence-holders also provide condition updates when appropriate.

Heritage Management Plans will be reviewed in accordance with the review process set out in those plans. The National Heritage List is Australia’s list of natural, historic and Indigenous places of outstanding significance to the nation. The List does not currently include any AMSA places, but if an AMSA place is added to the National List in the future, AMSA will review its Heritage Management Plan, in line with section 324W of the EPBC Act. The plans will be reviewed sooner if any of the following occur:

• there is a change in the assessment of the Commonwealth heritage values of a place
• changes that might affect the Commonwealth heritage values of a place are proposed

Information captured within AMSA’s Heritage Register, and the revision history of changes made where appropriate, will enable AMSA to monitor and review the success of the conservation of Commonwealth heritage values. Information included in the register includes:

• property details (Ownership/lease/licence/tenure information)
• heritage identification number
• description of the physical characteristics and elements of a place
• summary of use of a place
• Commonwealth Heritage Statement of Significance
• Commonwealth heritage values
• other heritage listings
• dates and nature of works undertaken on a place
• property restrictions/requirements
• consultation requirements (stakeholder information)
• past and present conservation documents relating to a place
• a record of when information has been updated
• significant objects associated with a place

12.4 Transfer of ownership

AMSA’s Navigational Safety Advisory Group (NSAG) is the peak consultative body for AMSA on matters relating to AMSA’s responsibilities for the safety of navigation in Australian waters. NSAG meets twice per year and provides expert maritime industry advice on requirements for aids to navigation and other nautical and navigational safety matters.

NSAG is consulted on issues particularly affecting shipping traffic around the Australian coastline including the outcomes of the periodic aids to navigation requirements review process.

AMSA regularly reviews the volume and nature of shipping traffic around the Australian coastline. From time to time this review process identifies aids to navigation sites that are no longer being used by ships that pay the Marine Navigation levy. These sites can be considered surplus to requirements.

A heads of government agreement exists between AMSA and most of the states (excluding South Australia and the Northern Territory) to allow for transfer of ownership of these sites.

The transfer of ownership or control of heritage assets that are surplus to AMSA’s requirements is planned and executed to conserve the items significance into the future. These assets include both heritage sites and artefacts.

In the event of a transfer of ownership, AMSA will consult Section 341ZE of the EPBC Act to ensure all obligations are met.

12.5 Management of artefacts

AMSA owns a collection of culturally significant artefacts that illustrate the social and technological history of lighthouses and maritime activity. The collection includes documents, equipment, and other items that are considered protected objects under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 Cth because of their age, value, rarity, representation in public collections and national significance.

AMSA’s strategies in relation to discharging its responsibilities for the artefacts are to retain ownership and:

• give artefacts to appropriate organisations, such as maritime museums, which can adequately protect the cultural values of the artefacts
• lend artefacts, permanently or temporarily, to organisations that can display and interpret those artefacts and increase public understanding of Australia’s maritime history in a secure manner
• ensure artefacts are being maintained in good order and loan agreements are being complied with.

As new technologies evolve there are opportunities for replaced lighthouse equipment to be added to AMSA’s Heritage Artefact Collection.

12.6 Responding to climate change

AMSA recognises that climate change has the potential to impact the accessibility, management and condition of heritage AtoN assets along the Australian coast. Two thirds of AMSA’s AtoN network are located in Tropical Cyclone Regions, and the intensity of weather events is increasing.

Mitigation of impacts related to climate change is necessary to reduce and prevent any loss of heritage value. AMSA’s immediate objective is to draw on strategic partners to develop operational intelligence capabilities to improve the ability to predict extreme weather events and proactively prepare for incidents. This includes:

• conducting a literature review and collaborating with stakeholders to identify specific risks associated with climate change impacts including Greenhouse emissions,
• collaboration with internal divisions to inform policy development.

Long-term objectives, such the preparation of Environmental Management Plans, require further development and negotiation.

AMSA recognises the requirement for staff to be trained on Commonwealth heritage obligations and best practice in heritage management. Resources permitting, training courses relating to heritage, conservation and the protection of a place’s significant values may be made available to key staff as part of continuing professional development.

Key staff will also partake in seminars organised by the Heritage Branch on Commonwealth Heritage.

In 2019, AMSA rolled out its online Tour Guide Safety Induction eLearning Module. This training educates tour guides working within AMSA’s heritage lighthouses on best practice when operating within a working heritage aid to navigation, and informed guides on the Commonwealth heritage values of each lighthouse. This training is completed every two years.

Contractors engaged with maintenance and projects are provided with information on the heritage values of a place prior to the works, and they are checked throughout the duration of the works to ensure appropriate techniques are adopted to protect the heritage fabric and values of the place.

AMSA recognises the importance of promoting community awareness of its heritage places and their Commonwealth heritage values. AMSA strives to achieve successful promotion by:

• providing Tourist Access Licences
• promoting heritage events via AMSA’s social media channels
• providing on-site interpretation signage
• providing historic artefacts for display at various museums across Australia
• updating AMSA’s website with relevant information on its heritage places

Any installations of permanent/semi-permanent displays (such as interpretative materials) are subject to consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and assessment for any possible impact to heritage values.

14.1 Tourism ventures

AMSA recognises the importance of tourism to local communities, and the potential for tourism to create employment and economic activity in regional areas.

AMSA currently has 16 of its heritage sites open to the public and they receive a high intake of visitors in a typical year. See Table 5 for details of the sites that are open to visitors.

Upon request, Tourist Access Licences can be provided to a site owner, and there is then opportunity for the creation of a sub-licence for a third-party organisation. All existing Tourist Access Licence agreements detail the licensees’ obligations for the site.

AMSA also supports local events held at its heritage sites and permits external site access for events such as projection/light shows, and anniversary celebrations.

All sites considered for tourism ventures must be assessed for their suitability and safety before the provision of a Tourist Access Licence, or approval for local events on-site.

AMSA seeks to facilitate tourism ventures upon request by:

• engaging with interested site owners to establish a Tourist Access Licence
• investigating the tourism potential and safety of a site
• assessing proposals for the facilitation of local events onsite
• providing access to site for tourism-related inspections and events (where appropriate)
• engaging with site owners to establish on-site interpretationcollection

14.2 Artefact collection

AMSA supports regional museums and lighthouse sites by lending around 800 individual artefacts from the AMSA collection – many of these are permanent loans. AMSA also provides advice about conservation and display of these artefacts. AMSA staff may audit borrowing institutions to ensure these artefacts

are well cared for. In cases where, for operational reasons, significant lighthouse equipment becomes redundant and cannot be kept in place, artefacts may be offered to local museums. Here they can be displayed in a local context.

Table 6 shows the locations where significant AMSA artefacts on loan are currently located.

AMSA will monitor implementation of this Heritage Strategy by reviewing progress periodically, and reporting on progress every three years in line with section 341ZA(6) of the EPBC Act. This reporting process will include a review of the effectiveness of this Heritage Strategy, and proposals for any changes to it that are prompted by the review.

The activities to monitor, review and report on the implementation of this Strategy within AMSA are as follows:

• Heritage Management Plans for Commonwealth Heritage-listed places are prepared, reviewed and updated every five years.
• Heritage undertakings incorporated into annual reports.
• Reports to the Senate Estimates Committee in relation to heritage matters and related expenditure.
• Identification of any risks to heritage values, through heritage impact assessments and statements.
• Updating and maintaining the Heritage Register entries for each heritage property.
• Referrals under the EPBC Act.
• Annual visits, inspections and the successful application of annual maintenance schedules.
• Engagement of appropriate heritage expertise to provide heritage documentation to satisfy AMSA’s requirements under the EPBC Act.

The following review process timetable will be adhered to over the next three years:

AMSA will endeavour to meet the following completion timeframes:

In the event AMSA is unable to meet these timeframes for completion, it will be noted in the review of this Strategy, and AMSA will endeavour to complete at the earliest opportunity.

Table 3 – Places listed alphabetically

Table 4 – Places listed by age

Table 5 – Lighthouses open to the public

Table 6 – Location of movable cultural artefacts

Heritage place 1 : Point Moore (Western Australia)

Point Moore lighthouse was first lit in 1878 as a much-needed beacon to guide shipping past the dangerous reefs offshore from Geraldton. The tapered cast iron tower of Point Moore lighthouse is made up of 16 tiers, each containing 12 plates, which were prefabricated in England by Chance Brothers of Birmingham.

Heritage place 2: Cape Leveque (Western Australia)

Cape Leveque lighthouse was first exhibited in 1911 to light the entrance into King Sound and aid shipping trading between Fremantle, the north-west ports and Singapore. The 13.3 metres high tower is made of cast iron plates bolted together and was the most northerly manned lighthouse in Western Australia until it was automated and de-manned in 1985.

Heritage place 3: Cape Leeuwin (Western Australia)

Cape Leeuwin lighthouse was first lit in 1896 to mark both the coastal route to Perth via Albany and as the first landfall for mariners crossing the Indian Ocean to Australia.

Cape Leeuwin lighthouse tower is built of locally quarried stone and stands 39 metres high, making it the tallest lighthouse on the Australian mainland. Tours of this lighthouse are run under licence from AMSA.

Heritage place 4: Eclipse Island (Western Australia)

Eclipse Island lighthouse was built in 1926 off the coast of Albany, Western Australia. Built to improve the navigation into King George Sound provided by Breaksea Island lighthouse, Eclipse Island lighthouse was the pinnacle of lighthouse technology at the time of its construction, with a Chance Brothers First Order optical apparatus and incandescent oil burner.

Heritage place 5: Breaksea Island (Western Australia)

Breaksea Island lighthouse was built in 1902 to mark the approach into King George Sound and the nearby ports which had been central to imperial shipping and mail services. The current granite tower with Chance Brothers first order optical apparatus was built to replace the earlier prefabricated cast-iron lighthouse, which had been first exhibited in 1858.

Heritage place 6: Cape Inscription (Western Australia)

Cape Inscription lighthouse was built in 1910 on Dirk Hartog Island, the historic site of the first documented landing of a European in Australia in 1616. The lighthouse is one of a small number of lights built in the period 1908 to 1915 to fill in navigation black spots on the Western Australian coast identified by shipping companies using the route to Singapore.

Heritage place 7: Cape Naturaliste (Western Australia)

Cape Naturaliste lighthouse was built in 1904 from local limestone blocks surmounted by a Chance Brothers lens and lantern room. It was the first major light in Australia to be fitted with a vaporised kerosene burner. Cape Naturaliste is one of three AMSA- managed lights open for public access in Western Australia — the others are Rottnest Island and Cape Leeuwin.

Heritage place 8: Rottnest Island (Western Australia)

Rottnest Island lighthouse was the site of Western Australia’s first lighthouse, built in 1851 to guide ships into the major port of Fremantle. In 1896, the original lighthouse was replaced with the current tower, which featured a first order Chance Brothers lantern and lens, which are still in use today. Tours of the lighthouse are available for visitors to the site.

Heritage place 14: Nobby’s Head  (New South Wales)

Built in 1858, Nobby’s Head lighthouse stands on a 32 m high headland at the mouth of the Hunter River. It is the second-oldest lighthouse in New South Wales. The lighthouse site was originally a 90 m high island but in the 1840s it was cut down and the rock used to build a causeway connecting to the mainland.

Heritage place 15: Smoky Cape (New South Wales)

Smoky Cape lighthouse was first lit in 1891, after nearly 20 ships had been wrecked along the New South Wales coastline from the mid-19th century. The lighthouse sits on top of a headland 128 m above sea level, making Smoky Cape the highest lighthouse in New South Wales. Tours of the lighthouse are available for visitors to the site.

Heritage place 17: Sugarloaf Point (New South Wales)

Designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet, the Sugarloaf Point lighthouse was completed in 1875 to highlight the dangers of the nearby Seal Rocks. The tower is constructed of cement rendered brick surmounted by a Chance Brothers lantern and lens.

Heritage Place 19: Flagstaff Point (New South Wales)

Flagstaff Point Lighthouse, also known as Wollongong Head Lighthouse, was first exhibited on 23rd July 1936. Designed to be an automatic light, the tower was originally fitted with a Chance Bros fixed 920mm lantern and was never manned. Flagstaff Point Lighthouse is unique for its extremely close proximity to another lighthouse, the Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse (1862). Both lighthouses serve different roles in coastal navigation with the Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse servicing Wollongong Harbour, and Flagstaff Point Lighthouse acting as a coastal shipping beacon and navigation device for Port Kembla Harbour.

Heritage place 20: South Solitary Island (New South Wales)

South Solitary Island lighthouse, built in 1880, epitomizes the popular image of a romantic isolated light station. Building supplies and later living supplies had to be lifted by crane onto the island, which was often difficult due to rough seas and high winds.

Heritage place 22: Cape Byron (New South Wales)

Cape Byron lighthouse was built in 1901 on the most easterly point of Australia’s coast. Cape Byron lighthouse is a major tourist attraction and underwent major works in 2020. Tours of the lighthouse are available for visitors to the site.

Heritage place 23: Macquarie (New South Wales)

The first lighthouse on this site was designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway and built in 1818. This was replaced in 1883 by the current tower designed by James Barnet. The lighthouse is open to the public under an access licence agreement between AMSA and the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

Heritage place 24: Montague Island (New South Wales)

Montague Island lighthouse, first lit in 1881, was designed by James Barnet and took almost four years to complete. Although originally fitted with a first order Chance Brothers lantern and lens, the isolated outpost of Montague Island was converted to solar power and de-manned in 1986.

Heritage place 26: Cliffy Island (Victoria)

Cliffy Island lighthouse was built in 1884 on the largest of a group of granite outcrops known as the Seal Islands, close to Wilsons Promontory. Access to the island from the sea is very difficult. When it was a manned light station people and supplies had to be winched up and down the steep cliffs from a platform on the cliff edge.

Heritage place 29: Gabo Island (Victoria)

The granite tower of Gabo Island lighthouse stands sentinel at the border between New South Wales and Victoria. It was built in 1862, to replace the original light constructed in 1853. Gabo Island is accessible by boat and light plane and tours of the lighthouse are available via Parks Victoria in nearby Mallacoota.

Heritage place 56: Althorpe Island (South Australia)

Althorpe Island lighthouse is located 7km off the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. The 20-metre-tall tower was built in 1879 of solid limestone with internal floors of Mintaro slate.

The light was de-manned in 1991 but continues to serve as an automated aid to navigation.

Heritage place 28: Cape Schanck (Victoria)

Cape Schanck lighthouse was first lit in 1859 on a prominent headland at the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula. The lighthouse was affectionately known as ‘the retirees light’ due to its proximity to Melbourne. The lighthouse is unique for its use of a shuttering system to distinguish between the display of its white and red lights. Tours of the lighthouse are available for visitors to the site.

Heritage place 30: Wilsons Promontory (Victoria)

Built on mainland Australia’s most southerly point, Wilsons Promontory lighthouse was lit in 1859 to aid the shipping traffic moving between Sydney and Melbourne. The lighthouse is constructed of granite quarried on the site. Tours of the lighthouse are available for visitors to the site.

Heritage place 31: Cape Don (Northern Territory)

The isolated light station at Cape Don was first lit in 1917 to guide mariners through Dundas Strait, between the Cobourg Peninsula and Melville Island, a well-used path for ships approaching Darwin. During the Second World War there was a RAAF radar station at the site to watch the northern and eastern approaches to Darwin.

Heritage place 32: Charles Point (Northern Territory)

Constructed in 1893, the tower is 32 m high and hexagonal in plan. Its central iron tube with spiral staircase inside, and its skeleton of iron columns and ties, stand on concrete footings. The design is unusual and one of only a handful of similar lighthouses in Australia. The components of the tower were fabricated in Adelaide and shipped to the site for assembly. The light was automated in 1933 and today runs on a low voltage solar power system.

Heritage place 33: Cape Hotham (Northern Territory)

The Cape Hotham lighthouse was built in 1928 as an automatic acetylene- powered light. It is a typical example of the earliest Commonwealth Lighthouse Service lighthouses that were built to operate without lighthouse keepers. It retains the original Australian-made steel tower and the imported Chance Brothers lantern and lens. It has been converted to solar-electric lighting.

 

Heritage place 34: Cape Sorell (Tasmania)

Built in 1899 to serve the port of Strahan the 38 m tower was constructed using over 400,000 bricks. The light was automated in 1971 and in 1988 the original lens removed and replaced with a solar powered beacon.

Heritage place 35: Cape Wickham (Tasmania)

Constructed in 1861 and standing 48 m, Cape Wickham lighthouse is the tallest in Australia, and one of a series of lighthouses erected to light the dangers of King Island and the western entrance to Bass Strait. King Island was the scene of Australia’s largest maritime disaster when the emigrant ship Cataraqui wrecked, with the loss of 400 lives.

Heritage place 36: Eddystone Point (Tasmania)

Eddystone Point lighthouse was first exhibited in 1889 and is constructed of local granite. The 37 m tall lighthouse was built with a Chance Brothers lantern and was fitted with the original lens from Cape Du Couedic in South Australia in 1961.

 

Heritage place 38: Mersey Bluff (Tasmania)

The Mersey Bluff lighthouse was built in 1889 to mark the approach to Devonport, Tasmania. The tower is constructed of brick on a stone base and still houses the original Chance Brothers lantern room and lens. The distinctive red vertical stripes were added to the outside of the lighthouse in 1929.

Heritage place 39: Swan Island (Tasmania)

Swan Island lighthouse is the oldest AMSA managed lighthouse. It was built in 1845 by ex- convict architect Charles Watson and his team of 20 convicts. The island is located off the North East tip of Tasmania and was automated in 1985 and de-manned in 1986.

Heritage place 40: Table Cape (Tasmania)

Table Cape lighthouse was first lit in 1888. The construction of the lighthouse followed the loss of the ship Emma Prescott in 1867 at Freestone Cove, and the Schooner Orson in 1884. Table Cape lighthouse was the first AMSA-managed lighthouse in Tasmania to be opened to the public for tours.

Heritage place 41: Tasman Island (Tasmania)

The Tasman Island lighthouse was built between 1904-1905 and first lit in April 1906. The tower was constructed of prefabricated cast iron panels imported from England. Until the 1930s the only communication available to the lightkeepers and their families was through pigeon post or by signalling to passing vessels.

Heritage place 42: Low Head (Tasmania)

The current lighthouse at Low Head was built in 1888 on the site of an original light which was built in 1833 by local convict labour. Low Head light station has a foghorn, one of only two still existing in Australian light stations.

Heritage place 43: Dent Island (Queensland)

Dent Island lighthouse was first exhibited in 1879 in response to the dramatic expansion of coastal shipping along the Great Barrier Reef in the mid-19th century. The tower is timber framed, clad in galvanised iron and is identical to the Cape Cleveland lighthouse built at the same time.

Heritage place 45: North Reef (Queensland)

North Reef lighthouse, established in 1878, is one of the most remarkable light stations in Australia. Built on a migratory patch of sand on a coral reef at the northern end of the Capricorn Channel, the lighthouse includes a concrete base used as a freshwater tank and a circular keepers’ residence built to surround the tower.

Heritage place 46: Booby Island (Queensland)

Booby Island lighthouse was built in 1890 to light the western entrance to Torres Strait. The tower has a wooden frame and is clad in galvanised iron plates, a distinctive construction method only seen in Queensland lighthouses.

Heritage place 47: Bustard Head (Queensland)

Bustard Head lighthouse was first exhibited in 1868 to warn of several dangers to shipping including the low coral isles of the Bunker Group and the outcrops which line the coast from Bundaberg to Bustard Bay. The 17 m high cast-iron tower of Bustard Head was the first light built by the government after Queensland became a separate colony in 1859.

Heritage place 48: Cape Cleveland (Queensland)

Cape Cleveland lighthouse was constructed in 1879 to mark the southern approaches to the port of Townsville. Timber framed iron clad towers such as this are unique to Queensland, and Cape Cleveland closely resembles the nearby Dent Island Lighthouse.

Heritage place 49: Cape Moreton (Queensland)

Cape Moreton is the site of the oldest Queensland lighthouse, and the only one built of stone in the State. The iconic 23 metre tower was built in 1857 from sandstone quarried nearby. A new lantern was installed in 1928, but the stone tower, the external stone stair at the base, and the internal cast iron stair, all date from the original construction. The two distinctive red bands were first painted on the outside of the tower in 1942.

Heritage place 53: Cape du Couedic (South Australia)

Cape du Couedic lighthouse was first lit in 1909 on the south side of Kangaroo Island in response to a series of shipwrecks such as the Loch Sloy in 1899 and the Loch Vennachar in 1905. In 1957 the original 1st order Chance Brothers lens was removed and installed at Eddystone Point lighthouse in 1961.

Heritage place 54: Cape Northumberland  (South Australia)

Cape Northumberland lighthouse was built in 1882 and originally housed a First Order Chance Bros. lens. It replaced the MacDonnell Light which was built in 1850 after a spate of wrecks caused a public outcry for the protection of mariners along the dangerous coastline.

Heritage place 58: Cape Borda (South Australia)

Built in 1858 the Cape Borda light is located on Kangaroo Island. It is the third oldest remaining lighthouse in South Australia. It was built to guide sailing ships arriving into South Australia off the Roaring Forty trade-winds and into the Investigator Straits and on to Adelaide. Tours of the lighthouse and on site accommodation are available to visitors.

Copyright

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority encourages the dissemination and exchange of information provided in this publication.

Except as otherwise specified, all material presented in this publication is provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0  International licence.

This excludes:

• the Commonwealth Coat of Arms
• this agency’s logo
• content supplied by third parties.

The Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence is a standard form licence agreement that allows you to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt this publication provided that you attribute the work.

The details of the version 4.0 of the licence are available on the Creative Commons website, as is the full legal code for that licence.

Acknowledgements

For additional information or any enquiries about this Heritage Strategy, contact the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Manager Asset Management and Preparedness, PO Box 10790, Adelaide Street, Brisbane QLD 4000

Phone: (02) 6279 5000 (switchboard)

Email:      Heritage@amsa.gov.au Website: www.amsa.gov.au

Attribution

AMSA’s preference is that you attribute this publication (and any material sourced from it) using the following wording:

Source: Australian Maritime Safety Authority AMSA Heritage Strategy – 2022–2025

Front cover image

Source: Swan Island Lighthouse, AMSA 2011

More information

For enquiries regarding copyright including requests to use material in a way that is beyond the scope of the terms of use that apply to it, please contact us through our website: www.amsa.gov.au