Grotto Point Light

Grotto Point Light
*Port Jackson Entrance Range Front*
Grotto Point Light
New South Wales
Location	Balgowlah Heights New South Wales Australia
Coordinates	33°49′3.97″S 151°15′41.64″E / 33.8177694°S 151.2615667°E / -33.8177694; 151.2615667Coordinates: 33°49′3.97″S 151°15′41.64″E / 33.8177694°S 151.2615667°E / -33.8177694; 151.2615667
Year first constructed	1910
Year first lit	1911
Construction	masonry and brick tower^[1]
Tower shape	cylindrical tower with domed roof
Markings / pattern	white tower
Height	26 feet (8 m)^[2]
Focal height	61 feet (19 m)
Original lens	catadioptric lens
Range	white :12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) red / green: 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)
Characteristic	Oc (4) WRG 15s. white on range, red right, green left, obscured other
Admiralty number	K2638
NGA number	111-6184
ARLHS number	AUS-087
Managing agent	Sydney Harbour National Park
[edit on Wikidata]

Grotto Point Light, also known as Port Jackson Entrance Range Front Light, is an active lighthouse located at Grotto Point, a rocky headland at the southernmost tip of Balgowlah Heights, New South Wales, Australia, on the north side of Sydney Harbour. It serves as the front range light, Rosherville Light serving as the rear light, into Port Jackson. Rosherville Light is located almost exactly 1 mile (1.6 km) (1,690 yards (1,550 m) to be exact) behind Grotto Point Light.

History

An 1939 view of the lighthouse

The decision to build the range lights was taken in 1909. Construction began in 1910 and the light was first lit on September 1, 1911. It is one of four such lighthouses designed by architect Maurice Festu in a style now sometimes called "Disney Castle", the others being Rosherville Light, Vaucluse Bay Range Front Light and Vaucluse Bay Range Rear Light.

The original light source was a carbide lamp (acetylene gas) which was initially generated on-site, and later replaced by compressed gas cylinders brought by boat.

Later, the light was electrified and connected to the mains electricity.

Structure

The structure is a masonry and brick domed tower, attached to two barrel-vaulted service sections in decreasing heights, all pointed white. The structure is surrounded by a white picket fence. The light is shone through a 2 by 1 metre (6.6 ft × 3.3 ft) horizontal slit, about two thirds of the way up the tower.

The lens is a catadioptric apparatus.

Site operation

The light is operated by the Sydney Ports corporation while the site is managed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water as part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

Visiting

The site is accessible by a short hike from Castle Rock track. The grounds are open but the tower is closed to the public.

References and notes

↑ According to the fact-sheet. Concrete according to The Lighthouse Directory.
↑ According to The Lighthouse Directory and the fact-sheet. "SeaSide Lights" says 13 feet (4.0 m)

List of Lights, Pub. 111: The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2009. p. 126.
Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: New South Wales". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
Searle, Garry. "List of Lighthouses - New South Wales". Lighthouses of Australia. SeaSide Lights.
"Grotto Point Lighthouse fact-sheet". Manly Council.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grotto Point Light.

"List of Lighthouses of New South Wales". Lighthouses of Australia. Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
"Grant and Tracey's Lighthouse Pages - Grotto Point Light". maizels.nu.
John MacRitchie - Manly Library (2008). "Grotto Point lighthouse". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 7 October 2015. [CC-By-SA]

Lighthouses of New South Wales and Jervis Bay Territory
North Coast	Fingal Head Cape Byron Richmond River Clarence River North Solitary Island South Solitary Island Smoky Cape Tacking Point Crowdy Head Sugarloaf Point Nelson Head Point Stephens Nobbys Head Norah Head
Outside Sydney Harbour	Barranjoey Hornby Macquarie Cape Baily
Inside Sydney Harbour	Grotto Point Bradleys Head Fort Denison Robertson Point Parriwi Head Eastern Channel Western Channel Vaucluse Bay - Front Vaucluse Bay - Rear Shark Island
South Coast	Wollongong Head Wollongong Breakwater Kiama Crookhaven Heads Point Perpendicular Cape St George Warden Head Burrewarra Point Montague Island Green Cape
See also List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Australia

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.