Lighthouses of Australia Inc
Home State Indexes Bulletin About LoA Membership Resources & Links Contact LoA Search Sitemap

Lighthouses of New South Wales

State Indexes > NSW > Wollongong Head Lighthouse

The Wollongong Head Lighthouse [Photograph: Rod Cairns]
The Wollongong Head Lighthouse
 Photograph: Rod Cairns

The Wollongong Head Lighthouse

Wollongong Harbour is the only point on the eastern coast of Australia which has two lighthouses.

Located on Flagstaff Point the newer lighthouse on Wollongong Head assists the passage of vessels into Port Kembla.

Operation

LOCATION:
 Latitude 34° 25' S, Longitude 150°55' E (map)
OPERATOR:
 Australian Maritime Safety Authority
EXHIBITED:
 1936
CONSTRUCTION:
 Concrete
CHARACTER:
 Occulting 1 in 6 Seconds
LIGHT SOURCE:
 120V, 1,000 Watt, Quartz Halogen Lamp
POWER SOURCE:
 Mains Power, Stand-by Diesel
INTENSITY:
 White 70 000 cd, Red: 17 000 cd
ELEVATION:
 40 Metres
RANGE:
 19 N Mile (30 Kilometres)
HEIGHT:
 25.3 Metres
AUTOMATED:
 Designed to automatic when constructed
DEMANNED:
 Never manned
DEACTIVATED:
 No
CUSTODIAN:
 Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources
The Wollongong Head Lens and Red Sector [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Wollongong Head Lens and Red Sector
 Photograph: Ian Clifford

History

Completed in 1936, by the Department of Shipping and Transport, it was the first new lighthouse in New South Wales since 1903. The tower is constructed of reinforced concrete and replaced several earlier lights. 

The structure cost £6,800 ($13,600) with plant and equipment £2,607 ($5,214).

It was the first fully automatic flashing light to be installed in New South Wales.

The original light apparatus was found to be faulty so a temporary acetylene gas light was employed until the replacement arrived in October 1938. 

The light is bi-coloured. A white light of 4.5 second duration visible through 100 degrees, and a red Light visible through 80 degrees. This latter indicating reefs and headlands.

It was built to service as a coastal light and Port Kembla, to the south of Flagstaff Point. Up until now the only aid had been the old Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse situated on the Belmore Basin to the north. The Breakwater light was discontinued in 1974.

Access

The lighthouse is to the east of the City of Wollongong and is accessible by car on the head at Flagstaff Point. It is not known whether there are tours of the tower.

NEAREST TOWN:
 Wollongong
DISTANCE:
 1.5 km (Wollongong)
:
 80 km (Sydney)
ACCESS:
 Flagstaff Point Public Reserve. Accessible by car off Endeavour Drive
TOURS:
 No
ACCOMMODATION:
 No
The Wollongong Head Lens [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Wollongong Head Lens
 Photograph: Ian Clifford 		The Wollongong Head Apparatus [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Wollongong Head Apparatus
 Photograph: Ian Clifford

The Wollongong Head Generator Room [Photograph: Ian Clifford]
The Wollongong Head Generator Room
Photograph: Ian Clifford

The Surrounding Area

Features

Pt Perpendicular Expedition Report: (Part 1 of 2) Bulletin Nov 99
White Towers Re-released Bulletin Jul 01
Lighthouses From the Air: Part 2 Bulletin Oct 01
LoA Annual Dinner to Coincide With IALA Sydney 2002 Bulletin Jan 02
US Lighthouse Society Tours Australia - Part 1 Bulletin May 02
From Poland to Australia – A European's View of Sydney Lighthouses Bulletin Apr 03
Annette Flotwell's East Coast Lighthouse Trip: Part 3 Bulletin Sep 03

The Wollongong Head Lighthouse [Photograph: Annette Flotwell]
The Wollongong Head Lighthouse
 Photograph: Annette Flotwell

News

White Towers Re-released Bulletin Jul 01

Other Wollongong Head Sites

The Wollongong Lighthouses
 Grant Maizels
Wollongong Headland (Flagstaff Hill Wollongong) - NSW Garry Searle

The Wollongong Head Lighthouse from the air [Photograph: Winsome Bonham]
The Wollongong Head Lighthouse from the air
 Photograph: Winsome Bonham

Special Thanks to:

  • Annette Flotwell for Photograph
  • Ian Clifford for Photographs
  • Rod Cairns for Photograph
  • Winsome Bonham for Photograph

Sources:

  • AMSA
  • Brian Lord
  • White Towers - The Illawarra Lighthouses, A P Fleming, Illawarra Historical Society
Page last updated:
Page created:		 3/10/03
20/12/97

Site constructed by: 
Malcolm S Macdonald t/as Lighthouse Computer Training & Development (1997-2001)
Copyright © All rights reserved.
1997-2001 Malcolm S Macdonald and individual contributors as acknowledged.
2002-2007 Lighthouses of Australia Inc (LoA Inc) and individual contributors as acknowledged. & Lighthouses of Australia Inc (2002-2007)