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Lighthouses of New South Wales

State Indexes > NSW > Crowdy Head Lighthouse

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse was built in 1878 with a fixed catadioptric light of less than 1,000 candelas.

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Crowdy Head Lighthouse
Photograph: Ian Clifford

Operation

LOCATION: Lat. 31° 50.7' S, Long. 152° 45.3' E (map)
OPERATOR: Australian Maritime Safety Authority
EXHIBITED: 1878
CONSTRUCTION: Stone
CHARACTER: Group Flashing 2 every 10 seconds
LIGHT SOURCE: Mains Electricity
POWER SOURCE: Mains Power
INTENSITY: 28,000 cd
ELEVATION: 61 metres
RANGE: 16 nautical miles
HEIGHT: 7.3 metres
AUTOMATED: 1928
DEMANNED: 1928
DEACTIVATED: No
CUSTODIAN: Dept Infrastructure, Planning & Natural Resources
HERITAGE:
Register of the National Estate

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse with foundation of keepers cottage in foreground. [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Crowdy Head Lighthouse with foundation of keepers cottage in foreground.
Photograph: Ian Clifford

The Stairwell of the Crowdy Head Lighthouse [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The stairwell of the Crowdy Head Lighthouse 
Photograph: Ian Clifford
  
The apparatus and screens at Crowdy Head. [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The apparatus and screens at Crowdy Head.  
Photograph: Ian Clifford		 History

A pilot station was established in 1860 at nearby Harrington to assist ships navigating the entrance of the Manning River with cargoes of timber, livestock and limestone.

In 1878, a fixed catadioptric light of less than 1,000 candelas was erected on Crowdy Head.

It was the last of a series of small lighthouses designed by James Barnet, the others being Fingal Head, Richmond River, Clarence River and Tacking Point.

The Crowdy Head tower was made of stone and painted white.

The original light was a fixed white light of fourth order catadioptric type

It was originally manned by one lightkeeper.

In 1928 the apparatus was converted to automatic acetylene operation providing 1500 candelas and the keepers withdrawn.

The light was finally converted to mains electricity in June 1972.

The demise of the shipping industry saw the closure of the pilot station in the 1960s.

 

Keepers

We need your help in compiling a list of keepers for this lighthouse. If you have any information then send it to Web Keeper.

Please include this lighthouse's name, the keepers full name and what years they were keepers. Also include the same information for any other lights they were on.

 

Access

Turn off the Pacific Hwy just north of Taree and head for Harrington 12 kilometres away. The Crowdy Head fishing village and lighthouse is another 6 kilometres past Harrington.

NEAREST TOWN: Harrington
DISTANCE: 39 km (Taree)
: 6 km (Harrington)
: 356 km (Sydney)
ACCESS: Public reserve
TOURS: No
ACCOMMODATION: No

The Surrounding Area

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Crowdy Head Lighthouse 
Photograph: Ian Clifford

Features

Northern Rivers of New South Wales Trip: Bulletin Mar 00
Lighthouses From the Air: Part 7 Bulletin Mar 02
Annette Flotwell's East Coast Lighthouse Trip: Part 3 Bulletin Sep 03

Other Crowdy Head Sites

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse Grant Maizels

The Crowdy Head Lighthouse [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Crowdy Head Lighthouse 
Photograph: Ian Clifford

Special Thanks to:

  • Brian Lord for Photographs
  • Ian Clifford for Photographs

Sources:

  • Any Point
  • Brian Lord
  • Dept of Transport
  • From Dusk Till Dawn by Gordon Reid
  • Mary Shelley Clark and Jack Clark
  • Sydney AFLOAT
Page last updated:
Page created:		 29/02/00
29/02/00

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Malcolm S Macdonald t/as Lighthouse Computer Training & Development (1997-2001)
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