5.1 Commonwealth heritage listing – Goods Island Lighthouse
The following information is taken directly from the Commonwealth Heritage listing for Goods Island Lighthouse (Place ID: 105458).
Commonwealth statement of significance
The following statement of significance is taken directly from Goods Island Lighthouse’s Commonwealth heritage listing:
A signalling station has existed on Goods Island (Palilag), in Torres Strait, since 1877. The present lighthouse was constructed at the highest point on the island in 1886. It is believed to be the only lighthouse in Queensland to have been constructed entirely by government labour. The lighthouse has been a key element of the maritime history of Torres Strait, ensuring the safety of vessels in Prince of Wales Passage and Normanby Sound for over 110 years. It played an important role in the days of World War 2, when Torres Strait was a vital location in Australia's defence against invasion by Japan. The light still operates, having been transferred to automatic function in 1973. (Criteria A.4, B.2. Historic Themes 3.8 Moving goods and people; 7.7.2 Preparing to face invasion).
With the exception of its automatic light, the Goods Island lighthouse demonstrates the principal characteristics of a late 19th Century Queensland lighthouse. The associated lightstation complex, including the lighthouse, the keeper’s quarters, the rear lead light contribute to this by illustrating important aspects of lightstation design concepts of the 1880s. (Criterion D.2).
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, Goods Island Lighthouse is discussed in relation to each of the criteria as based on the site’s current Commonwealth Heritage Listing (Place ID: 105458)
| Criterion | Attributes | 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 | The whole lighthouse, its setting and its prominent location. | A signalling station has existed on Goods Island (Palilag), in Torres Strait, since 1877. The present lighthouse was constructed at the highest point on the island in 1886 and has been a key element of the maritime history of Torres Strait, ensuring the safety of vessels in Prince of Wales Passage and Normanby Sound for over 110 years. It played an important role in the days of World War 2, when Torres Strait was a vital location in Australia's defence against invasion by Japan. The light still operates, having been transferred to automatic function in 1973. |
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 building fabric, particularly the quality of construction. | Goods Island lighthouse is believed to be the only lighthouse in Queensland to have been constructed entirely by government labour. |
| Criterion D) Characteristic value | The lighthouse and its association with all aspects of the light station including the keeper's quarters and the rear lead light but excluding the automatic light. | With the exception of its automatic light, the Goods Island lighthouse demonstrates the principal characteristics of a late 19th Century Queensland lighthouse. The associated lightstation complex, including the lighthouse, the keeper’s quarters, the rear lead light contribute to this by illustrating important aspects of lightstation design concepts of the 1880s. |
These heritage values, identified and explained in the Commonwealth Heritage List, will form the basis of the management of Goods 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 Goods Island Lighthouse)
5.2 Condition and integrity of 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 Commonwealth heritage values are derived from the latest available Heritage asset condition report produced by AMSA’s maintenance contractor.
‘Condition’ is measured from good-fair-poor scale and incorporates the current condition of the specific value. Integrity is measured from high-medium-low and incorporates the value’s intactness. Goods Island Lighthouse’s Commonwealth heritage values and its associated attributes maintain good condition and high integrity.
The Commonwealth heritage values for Goods Island Lighthouse exhibits good condition and a high level of integrity. The lighthouse has retained much of its principal 19th century characteristics, and the tower maintains strong associations with the maritime history of the Torres Strait. Although outside of the AMSA lease, the surrounding building remnants are reminders of the island’s part in surveillance efforts during World War 2.
| Value | Values (including attributes) | Condition | Integrity |
| Criterion A) Processes | A signalling station has existed on Goods Island (Palilag), in Torres Strait, since 1877. The present lighthouse was constructed at the highest point on the island in 1886 and has been a key element of the maritime history of Torres Strait, ensuring the safety of vessels in Prince of Wales Passage and Normanby Sound for over 110 years. It played an important role in the days of World War 2, when Torres Strait was a vital location in Australia's defence against invasion by Japan. The light still operates, having been transferred to automatic function in 1973. (Criteria A.4, B.2.) | Good | High |
| Criterion B) Rarity | Goods Island lighthouse is believed to be the only lighthouse in Queensland to have been constructed entirely by government labour. | Good | High |
| Criterion D) Characteristic values | With the exception of its automatic light, the Goods Island lighthouse demonstrates the principal characteristics of a late 19th Century Queensland lighthouse. The associated lightstation complex, including the lighthouse, the keepers quarters, the rear lead light contribute to this by illustrating important aspects of lightstation design concepts of the 1880s. | Good | High |
5.3 Gain or loss of Commonwealth heritage values
Evidence for the potential gain or loss of heritage values will be documented within this section in future versions of the plan.