5.1 Commonwealth heritage list – Swan Island Lighthouse
The following information is taken from the Swan Island Lighthouse listing on the Commonwealth Heritage List (Place ID: 105598).
Commonwealth heritage list – statement of significance
Swan Island Lighthouse, completed in 1845, is significant as an integral part of Bass Strait’s mid-nineteenth century lighthouse network, and was constructed at a time when shipping was increasing between Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston. It was built using convict labour, which demonstrates the continuing role of convicts in the construction of government facilities in Tasmania during the 1840s. It also represents an early example of co-operation between Australian colonies in sharing costs and responsibilities for mutual benefit. The intact and vestigial 1930s buildings reflect the ongoing development of the lighthouse over a considerable period of time. (Criterion A) (Themes: 3.8.1 Shipping to and from Australian ports, 3.16.1 Dealing with hazards and disasters).
The Lighthouse is of further significance for being the oldest lighthouse in Bass Strait and for being one of four extant pre-1850 lighthouses in Tasmania. (Criterion B).
Swan Island Lighthouse is significant for its association with Sir John Franklin, the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land, who inhabited the establishment of the light (Criterion H).
The tower is of a distinctive design and form of construction for having a rendered rubble base and shaft, contrasting with a smooth freestone capital (Criterion F and B).
The lighthouse is a prominent feature and a major landmark on the coastline of this low, windswept island. Consequently, it has notable aesthetic values (Criterion E).
Commonwealth heritage values – 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, Swan Island Lighthouse is discussed in relation to each of the criteria as based on the current Commonwealth Heritage Listing Place ID 105598.
Criterion | Relevant Attributes Identified | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
Criterion A – Processes This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history. |
| Swan Island Lighthouse, completed in 1845, is significant as an integral part of Bass Strait’s mid-nineteenth century lighthouse network, and was constructed at a time when shipping was increasing between Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston. It was built using convict labour, which demonstrates the continuing role of convicts in the construction of government facilities in Tasmania during the 1840s. It also represents an early example of co-operation between Australian colonies in sharing costs and responsibilities for mutual benefit. The intact and vestigial 1930s buildings reflect the ongoing development of the lighthouses over a considerable period of time. |
Criterion B – Rarity This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history. |
| The lighthouse is of further significance for being the oldest lighthouse in Bass Strait and for being one of four extant pre-1850 lighthouses in Tasmania. The tower is of a distinctive design and form of construction for having a rendered rubble base and shaft, contrasting with a smooth freestone capital.
|
Criterion E – Aesthetic characteristics This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics values by a community or cultural group. |
| The lighthouse is a prominent feature and major landmark on the coastline of this low, windswept island. Consequently it has notable aesthetic values. |
Criterion F – Technical achievement This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. |
| The tower is of a distinctive design and form of construction for having a rendered rubble base and shaft, contrasting with a smooth freestone capital. |
Criterion H – Significant people This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s cultural history. |
| Swan Island Lighthouse is significant for its association with Sir John Franklin, the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land, who initiated the establishment of the light. |
5.4 TAS Heritage Register – Swan Island Lighthouse
The following information is taken directly from the Swan Island Lighthouse listing on the Tasmanian Heritage Register (THR ID: 1418).
TAS State Register – statement of significance
No statement is provided for places listed prior to 2007.
TAS State Register – criteria
The Heritage Council may enter a place in the Heritage Register if it meets one or more of the following criteria from the Historic Cultural Heritage Act (1995).
| Criterion | Explanation/evidence |
|---|---|
| A. The place is important to the course or pattern of Tasmania’s history. | The Lighthouse stands as a monument to the convict period when convict labour was used extensively in the construction of Government facilities. |
| C. The place has the potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Tasmania’s history. | Swan Island Lightstation, built in 1845, is significant as an integral part of a network of early Bass Strait lights which includes Goose Island, Deal Island and Cape Otway. The system represents the first example of co-operation between Australian Colonies in sharing costs and responsibilities for mutual benefit. |
| D. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of place in Tasmania’s history. | Swan Island Lighthouse is of historic heritage significance because it represents the principal characteristics of an Old Colonial Georgian light station. |
| E. The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement. | The light tower is significant as one of the four pre-1850 light towers in the state of Tasmania. Its method of construction, using rubble-rendered quartzite for the base and shaft, and freestone for the capital is distinctive in design. The high level of intactness of the tower, accompanied with the other original buildings in the light station adds to its aesthetic appeal, and is an important rural coastal landmark. |
| F. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social or spiritual reasons. | Swan Island Lightstation is of historic heritage significance as a dramatic landmark feature values by the community. |
| G. The place has a special association with the life or works of a person, or groups of persons, of importance in Tasmania’s history. | The Swan Island Lighthouse is significant for its association with Sir John Franklin, the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s, who initiated its establishment. |
These heritage values, identified and explained in the Commonwealth heritage list and the State Heritage Register, will form the basis of the management of Swan Island 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 Swan Island Lighthouse’s heritage values).
5.5 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, the heritage values of Swan Island Lighthouse demonstrate good condition. All attributes of the heritage values are sound. The heritage values of the lighthouse are considered intact and maintain a high integrity.
| Criteria | Values (including attributes) | Condition | Integrity |
| Processes | The lighthouse’s value as an integral part of Bass Strait’s mid-nineteenth century lighthouse network, and its association with the continuation of convicts in the construction of government facilities in Tasmania during the 1840s. | Good | High |
| Rarity | The lighthouse’s value as the oldest lighthouse in Bass Strait and as one of four extant pre-1850 Tasmanian lighthouses, and for its distinctive design and form of construction. | Good | High |
| e) Aesthetic characteristics | The lighthouse’s value as an aesthetic feature and major landmark on Swan Island. | Good | High |
| f) Technical achievement | The lighthouse’s value as a tower composed of a distinctive design and form of construction. | Good | High |
| h) Significant people | The lighthouse’s value as a tower associated with renowned Sir John Franklin. | Good | High |
5.6 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.