Eclipse Island is a barren island in Western Australia, near Albany, that has a lighthouse on it.
The Eclipse Island Lighthouse was built in 1926 as a cylindrical tower made of concrete. Initially it was a manned station using kerosene as lantern fuel in combination with a first order Fresnel lens. In 1976 the lantern was completely removed though and the optic was put on display at the Western Australian Museum. Today the light is emitted from atop a mast on the lighthouse's concrete trunk. The characteristic is a group of three flashes every twelve seconds from a focal plane at 117 metres above sea level.[1]
Three family quarters made of brick with fibro roofing along with several outbuildings, concrete tanks and bases, generator shed, helipad and a concrete landing can be found around the lighthouse. A trestle based light gauge railway and cable towers are also found in the lighthouse precinct, and was all constructed during the interwar period.[2]
The island supports a large colony of introduced rabbits and another common introduced pest the Arum Lily has also been introduced to the island in the past.
The island is composed of granite and has a total area of 99 hectares (245 acres) and was declared a Class 1A Nature Reserve in 2000.[3] It is a waypoint for the Volvo Ocean Race.
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The island has been classified as an Important Bird Area because it has been reported as supporting over 1% of the world's breeding population of Flesh-footed Shearwaters (6000-8000 pairs) and Great-winged Petrels (10,000-15,000 pairs).[4] Other birds that are found on the island include Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Little shearwaters, Caspian terns and Pacific gulls.
http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/wa/Eclipse%20Island/Eclipse%20Island.htm [link for lighthouse history]