5.1 Commonwealth Heritage Listing – Mersey Bluff Lighthouse
The following statement of significance and heritage criteria is taken from the Mersey Bluff Lighthouse listing on the Commonwealth Heritage List Place ID: 105377.
Commonwealth statement of significance
The Mersey Bluff Lighthouse, built in 1889, is significant for its association with the development of Devonport and the Mersey District. The lighthouse reflects the importance of Devonport during the late nineteenth century as a river port which was sustained by exports of agricultural produce and timber. (Criterion A) (Australian Historic themes 3.8.1 Shipping to and from Australian ports; 3.8.2 Safeguarding Australian products for long journeys and 3.16.1 Dealing with hazards and disasters).
The Mersey Bluff Lighthouse is significant as an important local landmark that forms a focal point in the recreational area of the township of Devonport and the surrounding region. (Criterion E.1).
Commonwealth heritage criteria
There are nine criteria for inclusion in the Commonwealth Heritage List – meeting any one of these is sufficient for listing a place. These criteria are similar to those used in other commonwealth, state and local heritage legislation, although thresholds differ. In the following sections, Mersey Bluff Lighthouse is discussed in relation to each of the criteria as based on the current Commonwealth Heritage Listing Place ID 105377.
| Criterion | Relevant Attributes Identified | Values |
Criterion A – Processes This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of [their] importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history. |
| The Mersey Bluff Lighthouse, built in 1889, is significant for its association with the development of Devonport and the Mersey District. The lighthouse reflects the importance of Devonport during the late nineteenth century as a river port, which was sustained by exports of agricultural produce and timber.
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Criterion E – Aesthetic characteristics This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of [their] importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics values by a community or cultural group. |
| The Mersey Bluff Lighthouse is significant as an important local landmark that forms a focal point in the recreational area of the township of Devonport and the surrounding region. |
5.2 TAS State Heritage Register – Mersey Bluff Lighthouse
The following information is taken from the Mersey Bluff Lighthouse listing on the Tasmanian State heritage register (THR ID: 1382).
TAS statement of significance
No statement is provided for places listed prior to 2007.
TAS State heritage criteria
| Criteria | Explanation/evidence |
Criteria a) The place is important to the course or pattern of Tasmania’s history. | The lighthouse is significant for its association with the early settlement and development of the surrounding region and the expansion of the shipping trade along the Tasmanian coast. |
Criteria d) The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of place in Tasmania’s history. | Mersey Bluff Lighthouse, built in 1889 is of historic heritage significance because it represents the principal characteristics of a late 19th century lighthouse. |
Criteria f) The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social or spiritual reasons. | Mersey Bluff Lighthouse, built in 1889, is historic heritage significance as an important local landmark which forms a focal point in the recreational area of the township of Devonport and the surrounding region. |
Mersey Bluff Lighthouse has also been identified as having local heritage significance under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme (as enacted by the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (TAS).
These heritage values, identified and explained in the Commonwealth Heritage List and the State Heritage Register, will form the basis of the management of Mersey Bluff Lighthouse. In the event of necessary works, all criteria will be consulted to inform best practice management of the values associated with the lighthouse. (See Section 7. Conservation management policies for further information on strategies to conserve heritage values of Mersey Bluff Lighthouse)
5.3 Condition and integrity of the Commonwealth heritage values
A heritage monitoring program was implemented in 2016. Each site is visited and reviewed every two years where the heritage fabric and values of the site are evaluated. Assessment of the condition and integrity of lighthouse’s values are derived from the latest available Heritage Asset Condition Report produced by AMSA’s maintenance contractor.
‘Condition’ is measured on a Good – Fair – Poor scale and incorporates the current condition of the specific value. Integrity is measured on a High – Medium – Low scale which incorporates the value’s intactness.
As a whole, Mersey Bluff Lighthouse’s identified values are in Good condition. These values also demonstrate high integrity. The lighthouse tower’s prominence within its landscape setting is undisputed and retains much of its original fabric.
| Criteria | Attributes | Condition | Integrity |
| Criterion A – Processes | The whole of the lighthouse and its historic relationship to the port. | Good | High |
| Criterion E – Aesthetic characteristics | The prominence of the lighthouse and its historic relationship to the port. | Good | High |
5.4 Gain or loss of heritage values
Evidence for the potential gain or loss of heritage values will be documented within this section of future versions of this heritage management plan.