Warden Head Lighthouse

Originally built on the Ulladulla Breakwater in 1873, the light was relocated to Warden Head in 1879.

It is one of only 2 towers in New South Wales made from wrought iron plates.

History

The combination of the Bomboras (north and south reefs) and Warden Head led to the loss of several ships and lives as they tried to enter the Port of Ulladulla.

The lighthouse was built in 1873 and was originally located at the entrance to Ulladulla harbour approximately 1.5km to the North West of Warden Head.

It was designed in the Colonial Architect’s Office by Edward Moriarty to the same design as the Wollongong Breakwater Light.

Joseph Mather won the contract to build both lighthouses, and Warden Head was built after he had completed the first of the two lighthouses at Wollongong Harbour.

These two lighthouses were unusual in New South Wales in that they were made of curved wrought-iron plates riveted together using ship building techniques of the period rather than masonry or stone construction common to NSW lighthouses at the time.

The wrought iron plates were manufactured and assembled in Mather’s yard at Darling Harbour in Sydney, they were then re-assembled on site. The tower is topped with a small ornate balcony with an iron handrail. The first apparatus was a fixed oil wick light that gave off 800 candelas.

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Under James Barnet’s direction the lighthouse was relocated to Ulladulla’s South headland, Warden Head, in 1889.

In 1920 the original oil lamp was replaced with a flashing white light using acetylene gas for automatic operation and the light was demanned. The light was converted to electric operation on the 15th of May 1964. Incandescent lamps were replaced in November 2018 following extensive repairs to the tower. The 24 volt LED light source and Universal Lighthouse LED controller are supplied by mains electricity with battery back up.

The current road out to Warden’s Head and car park was developed by the Ulladulla Council in the 1940’s to encourage visitors to the lighthouse.

Keepers

The first Lighthouse keeper was William Gambell, an ex-sea captain who lived with his wife and family in a slab house on the beach.

With the re-location of the lighthouse, the keeper’s cottage were also re-erected at Warden Head, in 1889.

After automation and demanning the keeper’s cottage was removed from Warden Head to the nearby town of Milton in 1922 where today it is used as a doctor’s surgery.

We need your help in compiling a list of keepers for this lighthouse. If you have any information then send it to keeper@lighthouses.org.au.

Please include this lighthouse’s name, the keepers full name and what years they were keepers. Also include the same information for any other lights they were on.