Cape Don Lighthouse

The Cape Don lighthouse was constructed on the Cobourg Peninsula in 1917 when the Commonwealth Government realised the urgent need for a lighthouse, as the passage between the peninsula and Melville Island was a route to Darwin, but was unlit.

History

Cape Don is situated on the extreme northern coast of Australia at the extremity of the Coburg Peninsula within the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. The importance of the site was recognised by the newly formed Commonwealth Lighthouse Service and construction of a lighthouse at Cape Don was first on the list of lights recommended for construction.

Work began on the tower in May 1915. The tropical heat of the north was considered too excessive to use iron for the construction, and the local ironstone rock was not suitable for the formation of concrete, so the lighthouse was built from reinforced concrete using materials shipped from Melbourne.

Due to outlying reefs and mangroves, materials could not be landed directly at the site, so a jetty was constructed three miles to the east, a tramway was laid, and materials were transported on trucks drawn by horses. Due to the climate and the grade, only two round trips could be made each day, and construction of the lighthouse and three keepers cottages could only be carried out during the dry season, taking three years.

The tower is 28 metres high from the base to the light platform. Concreting was completed in June 1917, and the lantern was installed ready for exhibition. A severe earthquake hit the area in August 1917, causing the structure to sway. The tower was not damaged, but 12 kilograms of mercury was lost from the pedestal bath.

The optical apparatus was operated by clockwork mechanism driven by descending weights, and as the tower was so high, the mechanism would revolve for 12 hours without rewinding. The tower has a Chance Brothers lantern and originally had a third order dioptric lens, with vapourised kerosene burnt in an incandescent mantle. The 150,000 candela beam had a range of 23 miles in favourable conditions.

A radio link with Darwin was established in 1937.  Mail and stores were supplied by launch from Darwin every fortnight. Heavier stores were delivered every four months by one of the lighthouse tenders.

In January 1968 a power house was erected followed by the installation of three diesel alternators. After 47 years of kerosene operation the light source was converted to electric operation on the 1st of May 1968 using power from diesel generators which also provided power to the cottages for domestic use.

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Cape Don was automated in 1983 using a PRB24/4 rotating lamp array powered by a solar panels. The lighthouse was demanned on completion of the solar conversion. The MV Cape Don arrived on the 2/7/83 to load equipment from the conversion including the the original Chance 500mm optic and mercury float which is now on display at the Queensland Maritime Museum. 

The lightstation is located within the Gurig National Park, and upon demanning, the cottages were handed over the Northern Territory Conservation Commission.

Cape Don, on which the lighthouse is located, was named by Captain Phillip Parker in 1818, in compliment to Lieutenant General Sir George Don, K.C.B., the Lieutenant Governor of the Fortress of Gibraltar.

Keepers

The last head keeper John Franklin and his family left the station on the 4th of July 1983. Other keepers in the later years were HK Ron Whitlow, AK Les Gates.

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.