Woodman Light

Woodman Point Lighthouse

Woodman Point Lighthouse
Location	Cockburn Sound, south of Fremantle Western Australia
Coordinates	32°07′51″S 115°46′11″E / 32.130844°S 115.769709°E / -32.130844; 115.769709Coordinates: 32°07′51″S 115°46′11″E / 32.130844°S 115.769709°E / -32.130844; 115.769709
Tower
Constructed	1902
Construction	limestone
Height	13 metres (43 ft)
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	half white (seawards) and unpainted (landwards), white lantern room
Operator	Fremantle Port Authority
Heritage	State Registered Place
Light
Automated	1955
Focal height	37 metres (121 ft)
Range	22 nmi (41 km) 8 nmi (15 km)
Characteristic	Oc. WRG 30s. and Oc. G 5s. Oc WRG 30s
Western Australia Heritage Register
Designated	13 August 2004
Reference no.	508

Woodman Light, also known as Woodman Point Lighthouse, Gage Roads Lighthouse and Coogee Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Western Australia. Located on Woodman Point in the City of Cockburn, it has been in continuous operation since 1902. It is 32 feet (9.8 m) high, and constructed of locally quarried limestone. It is located on the highest point of land in the area, which is unusually far inland for a lighthouse. On the same block of land are two Federation Bungalow style keepers' cottage, also built of limestone.

The lighthouse is operated and maintained by the Fremantle Port Authority for the benefit of coastal shipping approaching Fremantle Harbour from the south-west. It is not usually open to the public. The keepers' cottages have not been used as such since the light was electrified in 1955; currently, they are used as private residences.

History[]

Panoramic view of the coast from Woodman Point Lighthouse.

Originally known as Gage Roads Lighthouse, it was the first lighthouse built in the Cockburn area. It provided a leading light for coastal shipping for the Port of Fremantle, which commonly anchored offshore in Gage Roads. Previously such shipping had relied on the light on Arthur Head, but this was considered too small.

Construction of the Gage Roads Lighthouse commenced in October 1901. It was built by contractor W. C. Rose under a Public Works Department tender of £2,383. It had a kerosene vapour light supplied by Messrs Chance Bros & Co., Smethwick, England, and a timing pattern that hid the light for three seconds every 30 seconds. It had red, green and white sectors; and remains a sectored leading light. There is a widely circulating story that the red and green shades were incorrectly installed in the reverse order. Drawings from the Public Works Department that pre-date construction show that the sectors were installed as planned. The light had a range of 17 nautical miles (31 km).

It was officially opened on 23 August 1902. An opening ceremony was held two days later, attended by a number of politicians and businessmen including the Minister for Public Works, Cornthwaite Rason; the Colonial Treasurer James Gardiner; the Colonial Secretary, Walter Kingsmill; and the Mayor of Fremantle, Lawrence Alexander. The first head keeper was William Efford. He was transferred from the Arthur Head lighthouse which was extinguished when Woodman Point was lit. The first assistant keeper was John Lyons.

New condensing prisms were fitted in 1908. During World War II it was used by the army as a communications base and observations post, and was therefore placed under guard. In 1944 the clockwork mechanism controlling the occulting of the light was replaced, as the original was considered on the verge of failure. In the mid 1950s an additional green sector was added to the south-west. In 1955 the lighthouse was electrified at a cost of £1300. The new electrified light had a range of about 34.5 nautical miles (63.9 km) in clear weather. On 19 July of that year, the lighthouse was de-manned. The last head keeper was Laurence McBride; the last assistant keeper was Albert Livesey.

See also[]

• List of lighthouses in Australia

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Woodman Point Lighthouse.

• Woodman Light in the Gazetteer of Australia online
• "Woodman Point Lighthouse and Keepers' Cottages" (PDF). Register of Heritage Places - Permanent Entry. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
• "Woodman Point Lighthouse and Keepers' Cottages" (PDF). Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation. Heritage Council of Western Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Western Australia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 21 July 2008.