Lighthouses of Australia Inc

Operation Cape Bowling Green – August 1987

Text and photographs by Mike Pitcher, former Commonwealth Lighthouse Service employee

It might be said, with some justification, that the lighthouse at Pine Islet was partly responsible for the hugely expensive, expertly planned and totally clandestine operation successfully carried out by the Federal Government with the collusion of the Federal Department of Transport and the Royal Australian Navy.

Let the games begin.

Pine Islet is approximately 120 km S.E. of Mackay in a cluster of islands called the Percy Group. The light there marks the Normanby Rock. The powerful petroleum burner was first lit by the Marine Surveyor, Commander G.P. Heath, on the 18 July 1885.

One hundred and two years later, in early 1987, the National Maritime Museum in Sydney was looking around for a suitable historic lighthouse to mark the museum's position in Darling Harbour. Pine Islet was believed to be the oldest and possibly the only kerosene burner and mantle still in working order, making it an ideal acquisition. It was listed for removal to Sydney, where it would benefit the Maritime Museum. The news was made public. Big mistake. The residents of Mackay voiced their opinion that if the lighthouse were to be relocated, then it should be to Mackay. They mounted a sustained, united and well planned attack on the proposal which, to the chagrin of the Federal Government, won the day. Pine Islet is now on display in all its former glory on the quayside at Mackay Harbour.

Hell hath no fury like a Government scorned. With the cunning of a fox the powers that be cast around for another victim. About 40 km S.E. of Townsville across Bowling Green Bay is the light marking Cape Bowling Green. The Cape extends northwards like a thumb into the Coral Sea. The area is low, flat and covered with mangrove and scrub trees. It forms part of the Bowling Green National Park. The lighthouse can be reached by four wheel drive vehicles but, none the less, remains quite remote from the mainland and Townsville. It was built in 1874 as a manned light with a kerosene burner and Chance Brothers third order dioptric lens. Approximately 25 metres (80 feet), in height it was constructed of riveted iron plating around a wooden framework of Australian hardwood. In 1987 the light was gas operated. It was clearly a canny choice and with the experience of Pine Islet still fresh in the mind, plans for its removal were kept well away from public scrutiny. The plot thickens.

Thursday 20 August 1987 was crew change day on the lighthouse tender, M.V. Cape Moreton. One of three purpose built ships for the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service, they were, at this time, managed by the Department of Transport. As an Able Seaman I was one of the fresh crew to join her in Townsville. At the time of joining we had little idea of our itinerary over the next six weeks. We soon realised that something was in the wind when we embarked a lighthouse mechanic, two carpenters and supervisor from our Brisbane depot as well as the two representatives from the National Maritime Museum in Sydney. We departed Townsville at 18.00 hrs and anchored off the northern tip of Cape Bowling Green at 21.00 hrs.

Commencing early next morning and for the next eighteen days, the work of dismantling the lighthouse continued. The weather throughout was dry and hot. Sandflies and mosquitoes were in plague proportions. The only shade was from a large piece of canvas fastened to the perimeter fence to form a canopy. It was nicknamed 'Mosquito Alley'. This was the meal room, store room, conference room and carpenter's shop. Operation Cape Bowling Green was now in high gear.

First to come down was the lantern house. From the red painted cupola, windows, heavy wall panels to the Chance Brothers lens, each section was carefully lowered to the ground with a maiden's touch, and why not - the helicopter pilot was a lady.

With a female pilot at the controls in the helicopter, the last few sections of the lantern house are gently raised from the place they occupied for 113 years.

The lantern and balcony have been completely removed.

One up, one down, the demolition of the lighthouse is well underway, while the temporary tower of scaffolding with an electric light assembly is already in place.

Two LARKs were used to carry the many tons of material from 'ground zero' to the beach head several kilometres to the north. The LARKs were driven and services by A/Bs specially trained for such work.

With the lantern house gone, the chopper was no longer required and work began to remove the thousands of rivets by means of hammer and chisel. This was, perhaps, the most labour intensive and time consuming job of all. As each individual plate was removed and lowered to the ground the wooden framework of the structure slowly came into view. Long, elegant sections of timber, beautifully scarfed together, tapering upward in the traditional form of the lighthouse, and designed all those years ago, to support the heavy lantern house, high above the tree line.

As each section came down, large or small, it was colour coded, numbered and catalogued by the Museum staff. The two carpenters then sorted them into matching bundles and with great dexterity made wooden boxes for them to facilitate removal and lifting. News of our activities was slow to reach Townsville but by the second and third weekend there was a steady flow of four wheel drive enthusiasts taking the news back that the lighthouse which had given faithful service to mariners in their area for a hundred years and more, was about to go.

The dogs of war were slow to act. By Monday 7 September, just eighteen working days after our arrival at Cape Bowling Green, the lighthouse was completely dismantled and transported by means of our two LARKs, in dozens of wooden boxes of all shapes and sizes, to the sandy beach at the northern tip of the Cape. HMAS Stalwart arrived overnight and anchored at a convenient distance off shore. At 06.00 hrs. the following day, Tuesday, the task of transferring the dismembered lighthouse from the beach to Stalwart commenced. This was achieved with the use of our two LARKs and the Navy helicopter. Work continued non-stop until 13.00 hrs when the beach was finally clear.

News of Stalwart's arrival had reached Townsville and several news stations sent helicopters to cover the scene. Shortly after 13.00 hrs when the last load was received aboard HMAS Stalwart, she weighed anchor and proceeded toward Sydney. By the time the evening news was being shown on Townsville TV their lighthouse was well on it's way to what would be its new home at Darling Harbour. Their chicken had flown its coup.

As with Mackay, the residents of Townsville objected most strongly. The Queensland Courier Mail of 9th October 1987 reported the Maritime Services Minister, Mr Tenni, in Parliament, accusing the Federal Government of “plundering and vandalising north Queensland’s maritime heritage” and “stealing the 114 year old Cape Bowling Green lighthouse”. But it was all too little, too late.

Operation Cape Bowling Green was long since a fait accompli.

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