5.1 Commonwealth heritage listing – Table Cape Lighthouse
The following information is taken from the Table Cape Lighthouse listing on the Australian Heritage Database (Place ID: 105603).
Commonwealth statement of significance
Table Cape Light, built in 1888, is significant for its association with the development of maritime navigation aids along the Tasmanian coast, and with the development of the surrounding region and the expansion of the shipping trade along the north coast (Criterion A) (Themes 3.8.1 Shipping to and from Australian ports, 3.16.1 Dealing with hazards and disasters)
The tower is distinctive for its unusual below-ground-level base and access bridge (Criterion B).
Standing on a flat-topped headland atop cliffs towering high above the sea, the light tower is a well-known landmark feature of considerable aesthetic value (Criterion E).
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, the Table Cape Lighthouse is discussed in relation to each of the criteria as based on the site’s current Commonwealth Heritage Listing (Place ID: 105603).
Criterion |
Relevant Attributes Identified |
Explanation |
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 whole of the lighthouse form, brick fabric, steel features and landscaped setting. |
Table Cape Light, built in 1888, is significant for its association with the development of maritime navigational aids along the Tasmanian coast, and with the development of the surrounding region and the expansion of the shipping trade along the north coast.
|
Criterion B – Rarity This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of [their] possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history. |
The below-ground-level base and access bridge. |
The tower is distinctive for its unusual below-ground-level base and access bridge. |
Criterion E – Aesthetic characteristics This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of [their] importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristic value by a community or cultural group. |
The tower’s prominence and setting. |
Standing on a flat-topped headland atop cliffs towering high above the sea, the light tower is a well-known landmark feature of considerable aesthetic value.
|
5.2 TAS State Heritage Register – Table Cape Lighthouse
TAS statement of significance
No statement is provided for places listed prior to 2007.
TAS heritage criteria
The Heritage Council may enter a place in the Heritage Register if it meets one or more of the criteria set out in the Historic Cultural Heritage Act 1995 (TAS). The below table details the criteria Table Cape Lighthouse meets and the evidence to support.
Criteria |
Explanation and evidence |
A. The place is important to the course or pattern of Tasmania’s history. |
Table Cape Lighthouse, built in 1888, is significant for its association with the early settlement and development of the surrounding region and the expansion of the shipping trade along the coast of Tasmania.
|
D. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of place in Tasmania’s history. |
Table Cape Lighthouse is of historic heritage significance because it represents the principal characteristics of a Victorian brick lighthouse. |
F. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social or spiritual reasons. |
Table Cape Lighthouse is of historic heritage significance as a dramatic landmark feature values by the community. |
These heritage values, identified and explained in the Commonwealth Heritage List and the State Heritage Register, will form the basis of the management of the Table Cape Lighthouse. In the event of necessary works, all criteria will be consulted to inform best practice management of the values associated with the lightstation. (See Section 7. Conservation management policies for further information on strategies to conserve heritage values of the Table Cape 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, Table Cape Lighthouse’s Commonwealth values demonstrate Good condition and High integrity. Much of the site’s original fabric and form remains intact and in good condition, and the tower remains a prominent landmark within its setting.
Criteria |
Values (including attributes) |
Condition |
Integrity |
Criterion A – Processes |
Table Cape Light, built in 1888, is significant for its association with the development of maritime navigational aids along the Tasmanian coast, and with the development of the surrounding region and the expansion of the shipping trade along the north coast. |
Good |
High |
Criterion B – Rarity |
The tower is distinctive for its unusual below-ground-level base and access bridge. |
Good |
High |
Criterion E – Aesthetic characteristics |
Standing on a flat-topped headland atop cliffs towering high above the sea, the light tower is a well-known landmark feature of considerable aesthetic value. |
Good |
High |
5.4 Gain and/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.