5.1 Commonwealth Heritage listing – Tasman Island Lighthouse
The following information is taken directly from the Commonwealth Heritage listing for Tasman Island Lighthouse (Place ID: 105566).56
Commonwealth statement of significance
The Tasman Island Lighthouse, built in 1906, is significant as one of the last lighthouses to be constructed in Tasmania before the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for coastal lights. It is one of the most isolated lighthouses in Australia, and its exposed location on Tasman Island illustrates the hardships that would have been experienced by former lighthouse keepers. (Criterion A.4) (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 Tasman Island Lighthouse is part of a relatively intact early twentieth century complex of lighthouse, service buildings and haulage system, which contributes to its significance. (Criterion D2)
The Tasman Island Lighthouse is one of the highest lighthouses in Australia, and its location in a dramatic and isolated landscape creates a strong aesthetic appeal. (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, Tasman Island Lighthouse is discussed in relation to each of the criteria as based on the site’s current Commonwealth Heritage Listing (Place ID: 105566)
| Criterion | Relevant Attributes Identified | Explanation |
| Criterion A) Processes |
| The Tasman Island Lighthouse, built in 1906, is significant as one of the last lighthouses to be constructed in Tasmania before the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for coastal lights. It is one of the most isolated lighthouses in Australia, and its exposed location on Tasman Island illustrates the hardships that would have been experienced by former lighthouse keepers. |
Criterion D) Typicality This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage values because of importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of Australia’s natural or cultural history. |
| The Tasman Island Lighthouse is part of a relatively intact early twentieth century complex of lighthouses, service buildings and haulage system, which contributes to its significance. |
Criterion E) Aesthetic characteristics This criterion is satisfied by places that have significant heritage value because of importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristic value by a community or cultural group. |
| The Tasman Island Lighthouse is one of the highest lighthouses in Australia, and its location in a dramatic and isolated landscape creates a strong aesthetic appeal. |
5.2 TAS State Heritage Register – Tasman Island Lighthouse
The following information is taken directly from the Tasmanian State Heritage register listing of Tasman Island Light Station (Place ID: 5623)57.
TAS heritage statement of significance
The Tasman Island Light Station is of historic cultural significance for its association with the development of navigational aids along the east coast of Tasmania and the economic development of the region. It demonstrates the remote and self-contained nature of many light stations and the difficulties and isolation experienced by light house keepers and their families in maintaining these essential navigational aids.
The Tasman Island Lighthouse is significant as one of the last lighthouses to be constructed before the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for coastal lights in 1915 and is the highest operating lighthouses and most isolated light station in Australia. Its location in a dramatic and remote landscape, and lack of subsequent development, creates a strong aesthetic appeal. Its exposed location illustrates the hardships that would have been experienced by former lighthouse keepers.
The Tasman Island Station is a relatively intact early twentieth century complex of lighthouse, staff accommodation, service buildings and haulage system. Its high degree of integrity contributes to its significance. It was the last manned light station to be constructed in Tasmania.
TAS State heritage criteria
The following information is taken directly from the Tasmanian State Heritage register listing of Tasman Island Light Station (Place ID: 5623). 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 (TAS).
| Criterion | Evidence/Explanation |
| Criterion A) The place is important to the course or pattern of Tasmania’s history. | Tasman Light Station is significant for its association with the development of navigational aids along the east coast of Tasmania and the economic development of the region. It is the last manned light station built in Tasmania and heralds the transition towards automated light stations. The Tasman Island Lighthouse is significant as one of the last lighthouses to be constructed before the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for coastal lights in 1915. |
| Criterion B) The place possesses uncommon or rare aspects of Tasmania’s history. | Tasman Island Lighthouse is the only example of this type of prefabricated cast iron light station tower construction in Tasmania.
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| Criterion C) The place has the potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Tasmania’s history. | Tasman Light Station including the remains of the haulage way, flying fox and timber buildings and the surrounds of extant buildings, including the lighthouse have the ability to yield information which will contribute to our understanding of life and work on a remote light house station in the twentieth century. |
| Criterion D) The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of place in Tasmania’s history. | Tasman Light Station is of historic heritage significance because it represents the principal characteristics of an early twentieth century Federation-era cast iron lighthouse and associated keepers quarters from the same era. The Light station, as one of the most isolated light stations in Australia, demonstrates the remote and self-contained nature of such infrastructure and the difficulties and isolation experienced by light keepers and their families. |
| Criterion F) The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social or spiritual reasons. | The lighthouse is a prominent landmark for mariners making the final turning point for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. |
| Criterion H) The place is important in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics. | The light station, with its cast iron tower, brick residences, remains of the flying fox and haulage system, has an unusually high level of intactness. This intactness, combined with the dramatic nature of the island’s topography and lack of subsequent development, creates a strong aesthetic appeal. |
These heritage values, identified and explained in the Commonwealth Heritage List and the State Heritage Register, will form the basis of the management of Tasman Island 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 Tasman Island 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 lighthouses’ 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.
The values are deemed to be in good condition and maintain high-medium integrity. The removal of the original lantern house and installation of a NAL-1 lantern room in 1976 infringed on the characteristics of the tower (Criterion D).
| Criteria | Attributes | Condition | Integrity |
| Criterion A) Processes | The whole lighthouse including base, tower of bolted steel plates, interior and exterior, plus landscape setting. The Tasman Island Lighthouse, built in 1906, is significant as one of the last lighthouses to be constructed in Tasmania before the Commonwealth assumed responsibility for coastal lights. It is one of the most isolated lighthouses in Australia, and its exposed location on Tasman Island illustrates the hardships that would have been experienced by former lighthouse keepers. | Good | Medium |
| Criterion D) Characteristic values | The whole lighthouse plus its original clockwork mirrors, its association with service buildings and haulage system within the landscape setting. The Tasman Island Lighthouse is part of a relatively intact early twentieth century complex of lighthouses, service buildings and haulage system, which contributes to its significance. | Good | Medium |
| Criterion E) Aesthetic characteristics | Its visual prominence on its cliff-top landscape setting. The Tasman Island Lighthouse is one of the highest lighthouses in Australia, and its location in a dramatic and isolated landscape creates a strong aesthetic appeal. | 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.
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Footnotes
56 “Tasman Island Lighthouse, Port Arthur, TAS, Australia.”
57 Tasmanian Heritage Council, Tasmanian Heritage Register: Tasman Light Station