3.1 General history of lighthouses in Australia
The first lighthouse to be constructed on Australian soil was Macquarie Lighthouse, located at the entrance to Port Jackson, NSW. First lit in 1818, the cost of the lighthouse was recovered through the introduction of a levy on shipping. This was instigated by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who ordered and named the light.
The following century oversaw the construction of hundreds of lighthouses around the country. Constructing and maintaining a lighthouse were costly ventures that often required the financial support of multiple colonies. However, they were deemed necessary aids in assisting the safety of mariners at sea. Lighthouses were firstly managed by the colony they lay within, with each colony developing their own style of lighthouse and operational system. Following Federation in 1901, which saw the various colonies unite under one Commonwealth government, lighthouse management was transferred from state hands to the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.
Lamps and optics: an overview
Lighthouse technology has altered drastically over the centuries. Eighteenth century lighthouses were lit using parabolic mirrors and oil lamps. Documentation of early examples of parabolic mirrors in the United Kingdom, circa 1760, were documented as consisting of wood and lined with pieces of looking glass or plates of tin. As described by Searle, “When light hits a shiny surface, it is reflected at an angle equal to that at which it hit. With a light source is placed in the focal point of a parabolic reflector, the light rays are reflected parallel to one another, producing a concentrated beam”.10
In 1822, Augustin Fresnel invented the dioptric glass lens. By crafting concentric annular rings with a convex lens, Fresnel had discovered a method of reducing the amount of light absorbed by a lens. The Dioptric System was adopted quickly with Cordouran Lighthouse (France), which was fitted with the first dioptric lens in 1823. The majority of heritage-listed lighthouses in Australia house dioptric lenses made by others such as Chance Brothers (United Kingdom), Henry-LePaute (France), Barbier, Bernard & Turenne (BBT, France) and Svenska Aktiebolaget Gasaccumulator (AGA of Sweden). These lenses were made in a range of standard sizes, called orders—see ‘Appendix 2. Glossary of lighthouse Terms relevant to Cape Baily Lighthouse’.
Early Australian lighthouses were originally fuelled by whale oil and burned in Argand lamps, and multiple wicks were required in order to create a large flame that could be observed from sea. By the 1850s, whale oil had been replaced by colza oil, which was in turn replaced by kerosene, a mineral oil.
In 1900, incandescent burners were introduced. This saw the burning of fuel inside an incandescent mantle which produced a brighter light with less fuel within a smaller volume. Light keepers were required to maintain pressure to the burner by manually pumping a handle as can be seen in Figure 9.
In 1912, Swedish engineer Gustaf Dalén, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for a series of inventions relating to acetylene-powered navigation lights. Dalén’s system included the sun valve, the mixer, the flasher, and the cylinder containing compressed acetylene. Due to their efficiency and reliability, Dalén’s inventions led to the gradual destaffing of lighthouses. Acetylene was quickly adopted by the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service from 1915 onwards.
Large dioptric lenses, such as that shown in Figure 11, gradually decreased in popularity due to cost and the move towards unmanned automatic lighthouses. By the early 1900s, Australia had stopped ordering these lenses with the last installed at Eclipse Island in Western Australia in 1927. Smaller Fresnel lenses continued to be produced and installed until the 1970s when plastic lanterns, still utilising Fresnel’s technology, were favoured instead. Acetylene remained in use until it was finally phased out in the 1990s.
In the current day, Australian lighthouses are lit and extinguished automatically using mains power, diesel generators, and solar-voltaic systems.
3.2 The Commonwealth Lighthouse Service
When the Australian colonies federated in 1901, they decided that the new Commonwealth government would be responsible for coastal lighthouses—that is, major lights used by vessels travelling from port to port—but not the minor lights used for navigation within harbours and rivers. There was a delay before this new arrangement came into effect. Existing lights continued to be operated by the states.
Since 1915, various Commonwealth departments have managed lighthouses. AMSA, established under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990 (Cth), is now responsible for operating Commonwealth lighthouses and other aids to navigation, along with its other functions.
3.3 Cape Baily: a history
Aboriginal history
The Kamay Botany Bay National Park has a rich history that stretches back many thousands of years. Significant Aboriginal sites have been recorded within the National Park, some of which include middens and engravings. The Kurnell area is also considered one of the first points of contact Aboriginal people had with the crew of the Endeavour when British Captain James Cook landed there in 1770.
Further information collated from consultations with knowledge holders will be included in future versions of the plan.
Early European history
The Kurnell region has a long history of association with early European exploration. On 29 April 1770, British Captain James Cook entered Botany Bay aboard the Endeavour alongside Naturalist Joseph Banks who collected various native plant specimens for study from the region.11
It is believed the headland remained relatively free of European settlement until the first land grant occurred in 1815. Captain James Birnie was awarded the grant and went on to established ‘Alpha Farm’.12 The land was sold to John Connell in 1828, and then to Thomas Holt in 1860. Holt later donated 250 acres of the land to the Crown which was transformed into a reserve, known today as Kamay Botany Bay National Park.13
3.4 Why Cape Baily?
Discussions on a light at the entrance to Botany Bay started in the early 1930s. On 30 January 1930, site inspections were carried out at the two most likely locations for a lighthouse, Cape Banks on the northern side and Cape Baily on the southern.
The Acting Deputy Director of NSW and the State’s Lighthouse Inspector visited both sites and reported the following:
The isthmus which connects the low peninsula of Cape Banks to the land is very rough. The cost of transport of construction materiel and cylinders to the Cape by this route would be prohibitive.
The Deputy Director, NSW, suggested water transport as the alternative. Water transport would present no difficulty in Queensland, where we have lighthouse vessels with crews experienced in handling boats and landing materials on rocky shores but in NSW we would have to depend on hired boat attendance, the proposal is not attractive.
Were the tower and apparatus that it is proposed to install at Cape Baily installed at Cape Banks, the elevation of the light would be 90' and range 15 miles. At Cape Baily, the light would be visible a distance of 5.5 miles further south than would be Cape Banks. Smoke from the industrial establishments on the north shore of Botany Bay (the Bunnerong Power House is quite close) will reduce the visibility of a light at Cape Banks.
A light can be constructed at Cape Baily at less cost than can one at Cape Banks.
As the cliffs to the northward of Cape Baily rise gradually, a small tower is desirable in order to secure the maximum arc of visibility to the northward.14
As discerned from the report, Cape Baily was considered a more favourable position, primarily due to the amount of pollution from the Bunnerong power station near Cape Banks.
3.5 Building a lighthouse
Planned, but not built
With a site inspected and chosen, initial designs were drafted and the lens and pedestal components were ordered from Chance Brothers & Co. and paid for in 1931.15 However, the construction of Cape Baily Lighthouse suffered significant delays, and it would be a further 19 years before a lighthouse was constructed. Firstly, delays were attributed to the loss of the vessel SS Minmi which saw the loss of two lives.16 Additionally, the onset of the Second World War reduced funds significantly. Attention was turned to Cape Banks which became the location of a shore defence battery to control the entrance to Botany Bay during this time.
As a result of these delays, the Chance Bros. equipment ordered in 1931 was placed in storage upon delivery until 1934, whereupon the items were installed in other navigational aids sites.17 The proposed lighthouse at Cape Baily did not gain momentum until 1948. Design specifications were tabled by the Department of Shipping & Fuel and in 1949, the final design was decided upon.18
Design
With funds secured, the design of the Cape Baily Lighthouse was reviewed, and a memo dated 1948 titled ‘Brief Specification’ stated, ‘Appearance. In view of the proximity of the site to Cronulla the tower should be of a simple but pleasing architectural appearance’.19 This guided the proposed designs that were considered during this time. By 1949, the design was narrowed down to five possibilities, the design pictured eventually being chosen (see Figure 12).
Construction
Tenders for the construction of Cape Baily lighthouse were called on 8 March 1950. The successful contractors were K.A. Golding and C.F.W. Kewley, and the contract was signed 24 July 1950. Acceptance of the tender was listed in the Commonwealth Gazette of 3 August 1950.20
The desired date of completion of the lighthouse is shown as 16th October 1950 however a Notice of Mariners issued in December of 1950 detail that the light was not fully operational until 21 December 1950.21
Written reports of the construction period are limited, however it is known that site access was exceedingly, difficult as evident in a memo from the works supervisor dated 28 November 1950 which stated:
‘Access to this light is very rough and boggy in several places over the last two or three miles and only vehicles with 4WD are suitable for transport, it is suggested that some provision should be made for improving this track through the swamp area.’22
The main structure, including balcony floor, was constructed entirely of concrete. The tower was constructed using a slip form concreting technique (see Figure 13, 14 & 15). This building method allowed for the form work (the timbers) to move up the tower vertically extruding a concrete section as it moved.
Figure 13. Cape Baily Lighthouse under construction, 1950 (Courtesy of the Local Studies Collection, Sutherland Shire Libraries)23
Figure 14. Cape Baily Lighthouse under construction, 1950 (Courtesy of the Local Studies Collection, Sutherland Shire Libraries)24
Figure 15. Cape Baily Lighthouse under construction, 1950 (Courtesy of the Local Studies Collection, Sutherland Shire Libraries)25
Equipment when built
Upon completion, the tower stood as a cast concrete structure atop a 200mm thick concrete slab measuring 9250mm x 9250mm.
The tower was fitted with a Robison Brothers & Company Limited of Melbourne lantern house, which appeared to copy earlier Chance Brother lantern rooms26. It is the only known example of this company manufacturing lighthouse equipment.
The Cape Baily light was first lit on the night of 21 December 1950.
An AGA Dalen acetylene flasher unit was fitted within the Chance Brothers lens and served as the tower’s initial light source. Eight large acetylene gas bottles were held in the tower base with gas lines feeding acetylene to the flasher mounted within the lens. Dishes cast into the ground level floor are still evident today although the acetylene bottles were long removed. The sunvalve controlled the flow of acetylene. It opened at dusk and closed at dawn ensuring acetylene was used only during the hours of darkness.
Figure 16. Visitors to Cape Baily Lighthouse, 1950 (Courtesy of the Local Studies Collection, Sutherland Shire Libraries)27
The site is now powered by an array of six solar panels with a low voltage light source.
It is presumed that the lens is of Chance Brothers manufacture due to its resemblance to other lenses from this company.
Due to the light’s automatic capabilities, no lightkeeper was stationed at the lighthouse.
3.7 Chronology of major events
The following table details the major events to have occurred at Cape Baily Lighthouse.
Date |
Event |
21 December 1950 |
Cape Baily Lighthouse fully functional.28 |
1967 |
Headland reserve comes under the Management of the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of the Kamay Botany Bay National Park.29 |
1988 |
Kamay Botany Bay National Park gazetted.30 |
2004 |
Cape Baily Lighthouse listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List. |
3.7 Changes and conservation over time
The following section details the changes and conservation efforts to have been carried out at Cape Baily Lighthouse since its construction.
Alteration to the light
The following table details the changes to the Cape Baily light since its exhibition in 1950.
Date |
Alteration |
3 February 1987 |
Acetylene system removed, solar panels installed. |
For information on current light details, see ‘Appendix 4 Cape Baily Lighthouse current light details’.
Recent conservation works
The following table details the recent conservation works to have occurred at Cape Baily Lighthouse.
Date |
Work |
1987 |
Mezzanine floor and aluminium ladders installed within tower. |
2018 |
Asbestos fibrous cement sheeting from window removed and replaced with new fibrous cement sheeting. Broken window louvres removed from site. |
3.8 Summary of current and former uses
From its construction in 1950, Cape Baily Lighthouse has been used as a marine AtoN for mariners at sea. Its AtoN capability remains its primary use.
3.9 Summary of past and present community associations
Aboriginal associations
The lighthouse resides within a National Park renowned for its rich Aboriginal cultural heritage and history. The local community maintains strong associations with the land on which the lighthouse was built and continues to operate on today. Further information on past and present associations from appropriate knowledge-holders will be included in future versions of the plan.
Local, national and international associations
Cape Baily Lighthouse is considered a significant site of New South Wales and Australian history. The surrounding Kamay Botany Bay National Park is also notable for its associations to national and international conservation efforts.
3.10 Unresolved questions or historical conflicts
It has often been reported that Cape Baily houses a late 19th century lantern. This is incorrect as the builder’s plate on the lantern detail that lantern was constructed by Robinson Bros. in 1950.
3.11 Recommendations for further research
Further investigation on the construction process, and the lighthouse’s early operation management would be beneficial.
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Footnotes
11 “Captain Cook’s Landing Place,” NSW National Parks Wildlife Service, accessed October 2020, https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/historic-buildings-places/captain-cooks-landing-place; Doug Benson and Georgina Eldershaw, “Backdrop to encounter: the 1770 landscape of Botany Bay, the plants collected by Banks and Solander and rehabilitation of natural vegetation at Kurnell,” Cunninghamia (Jan 2007): 115-118.
12 Benson and Eldershaw, “Backdrop to encounter,” 124 ; Brooks & Associates, Supplementary Information Cape Baily Lighthouse, 4.
13 Brooks & Associates, Supplementary Information Cape Baily Lighthouse, 5.
14 Marine Branch, Cape Baily, NSW- Intended new light: Examination of sites, etc. (NSW Marine Branch, 1930), 31-33.
16 W.G. Lawrence to Earle Page, 27 May 1937, Lightstation Cape Baily NSW Tower, Lantern and Optical Apparatus, File 66/1173, Australian Maritime Safety Authority Archives; “Marine inquiry,” Daily commercial news and shipping list (Sydney), May 26, 1937, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/161416551
18 Department of Shipping and Fuel, Brief specification: New lighthouse tower, Cape Baily, New South Wales (NSW State Government, 1948), 84.
20 “Department of works and housing: tenders accepted,” Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, August 3, 1950.
21 “Department of works and housing: tenders accepted.”; Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport, Notice to Mariners, No. 15 (Commonwealth of Australia, 1950).
22 J.C. Senior to K. Ditcham, 28 November 1950, Lightstation Cape Baily NSW Tower, Lantern and Optical Apparatus, File 66/1173 Australian Maritime Safety Authority Archives.
23 Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries (30th Jun 2020). Cape Baily lighthouse under construction, 1950. In Website Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 5th May 2021 10:18, from https://localhistory.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1779
24 Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries (30th Jun 2020). Cape Baily lighthouse under construction, 1950. In Website Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 5th May 2021 10:21, from https://localhistory.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1778
25 Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries (30th Jun 2020). Cape Baily lighthouse under construction, 1950. In Website Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 5th May 2021 10:23, from https://localhistory.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1781
26 Established in 1854, Robison Bros. & Co. Pty Ltd were manufacturing engineers, brass founders and coppersmiths. The company manufactured machinery in Melbourne during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Throughout their long history Robison's played a significant role in the development of Victoria. Among many of their projects were the installation of security bars at Pentridge Goal, the Dight's Falls pumping station to supply water to Albert Park Lake via the botanical gardens, the first successful refrigeration plant to ship frozen meat to England, manufacture of brewing vats, bitumen tankers, diving helmets and gun carriages.
27 Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries (30th Jun 2020). Visitors to Cape Baily Lighthouse, 1950. In Website Local History – Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 5th May 2021 10:29, from https://localhistory.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1782