Grotto Point Light
Port Jackson Entrance Range Front
Grotto Point Light
LocationBalgowlah Heights
New South Wales
Australia
Coordinates33°49′3.97″S 151°15′41.64″E / 33.8177694°S 151.2615667°E / -33.8177694; 151.2615667
Tower
Constructed1910
Constructionmasonry and brick tower[1]
Height26 feet (8 m)[2]
Shapecylindrical tower with domed roof
Markingswhite tower
OperatorSydney Harbour National Park
Light
First lit1911
Focal height61 feet (19 m)
Lenscatadioptric lens
Rangewhite :12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
red / green: 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)
Characteristicflashing(4) WRG 15s.
white on range, red right, green left, obscured other

Grotto Point Light, also known as Port Jackson Entrance Range Front Light, is an active lighthouse located at Grotto Point, a rocky headland at the southernmost tip of Balgowlah Heights, New South Wales, Australia, on the north side of Sydney Harbour. It serves as the front range light, Rosherville Light serving as the rear light, into Port Jackson. Rosherville Light is located almost exactly 1 mile (1.6 km) (1,690 yards (1,550 m) to be exact) behind Grotto Point Light.

History

A 1939 view of the lighthouse

The decision to build the range lights was taken in 1909. Construction began in 1910 and the light was first lit on September 1, 1911. It is one of four lighthouses in a style sometimes called "Disney Castle", the others being Rosherville Light, Vaucluse Bay Range Front Light and Vaucluse Bay Range Rear Light.[3]

The original light source was a carbide lamp (acetylene gas) which was initially generated on-site, and later replaced by compressed gas cylinders brought by boat.[4]

Later, the light was electrified and connected to the mains electricity.

Structure

The structure is a masonry and brick domed tower, attached to two barrel-vaulted service sections in decreasing heights, all painted white. The structure is surrounded by a white picket fence. The light is shone through a 2 by 1 metre (6.6 ft × 3.3 ft) horizontal slit, about two-thirds of the way up the tower.

The lens is a catadioptric apparatus.

Site operation

The light is operated by the Sydney Ports corporation while the site is managed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water as part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.[4]

Visiting

The site is accessible by a short hike from Castle Rock track. The grounds are open but the tower is closed to the public.

See also

References and notes

  1. ↑ According to the fact-sheet. Concrete according to The Lighthouse Directory.
  2. ↑ According to The Lighthouse Directory and the fact-sheet. "SeaSide Lights" says 13 feet (4.0 m)
  3. ↑ Morcombe, John (7 August 2015). "The master mariner who was a leading light behind the leading line". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Grotto Point Lighthouse". Lighthouses of Australia Inc. 21 January 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
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