'2014 marks 99 years of continuous aids to navigation management by the Commonwealth,' Acting Chief Executive Officer Mick Kinley said.
'A lot has changed in 99 years, from new illumination technologies and automation of lighthouses to the introduction of digital vessel identification systems.
'But despite these changes, lighthouses continue to play a vital role in shipping safety.'
To mark International Lighthouse Weekend on 16-17 August, AMSA is encouraging Australians to visit their local lighthouse.
While many of the lighthouses AMSA maintains are located in remote and hard to reach locations the following 18 lighthouses are regularly open to the public:
- NSW: Cape Byron, Byron Bay; Smoky Cape, South West Rocks, and Montague Island
- Victoria: Cape Schanck, Split Point, Wilson’s Promontory, Gabo Island, Cape Nelson
- WA: Cape Naturaliste, near Dunsborough; Cape Leeuwin, near Augusta; and Rottnest Island
- QLD: Bustard Head
- South Australia: Cape Borda and
- TAS: Eddystone.
Brighten your weekend with a visit to a lighthouse. Take and share photos using the following hashtag for social media: #illw2014.
International Lighthouse Weekend is held annually across the globe to celebrate the significant role of lighthouses in our history. International Lighthouse Weekend was initiated in 1998 by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group in Scotland to promote public awareness of lighthouses and other aids to navigation and their need for preservation and restoration, as well as encouraging amateur radio operators to practice their craft. The Association of Lighthouse Keepers joined the event a few years later to add an open day element to the event.
More information can be found on our website.
Photos: bit.ly/AMSALighthousepics
Videos: bit.ly/AMSAlighthousevideos