Bulletin - Vol 8 No. 5 September/October 2005

Jarman Island Lighthouse before restoration Photo: Winsome Bonham

Bright future for Jarman Island’s historic lighthouse

Presented by: Jean Burton, ABC North West WA, Tuesday, 5 July 2005

It might not be operational, but the restored Jarman Island lighthouse off the Pilbara coast at Cossack is a shining beacon for the historic area’s redevelopment.

Jarman Island Lighthouse cottages are next in line for renovation Photo: John Ibbotson

After years in disrepair, the tower, which was built and erected in 1888, is gleaming with its red and white paint and renovated stairs to take visitors up to the lantern room, where the lens originally flashed its welcoming lights to mariners.

Jarman Island marks the entry to the historic port of Cossack and the wharves at Point Samson. The port was established to service the early north west pastoral leases, and provide shelter for the pearling luggers during the late 1800s. As the port silted up at the mouth of the Harding River, Cossack was superseded by Point Samson in 1914 and eventually by Cape Lambert in the 1960s as the iron ore boom took hold. The lighthouse was turned off for the last time in 1985.

The completion of the lighthouse restoration is just part of the ongoing Cossack Redevelopment Plan, and next in line for the renovator’s touch is the keeper’s house, also on Jarman Island.

The Breakfast Program’s Jean Burton enjoyed a trip to the island to celebrate the lighthouse’s new lease of life as a tourist attraction for visitors to the Shire of Roebourne.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/northwestwa/stories/s1407382.htm