Point Danger Lighthouse
Point Danger is home to the Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse. Opened on 16 April 1971, it is one of seven concrete towers built for the bicentenary of James Cook’s first voyage. Built as a joint venture between Gold Coast City Council and Tweed Shire Council, it marks the border between Queensland and New South Wales. Each of the four columns are aligned to the cardinal points of the compass.
The Commonwealth Department of Shipping and Transport joined in to make the tower a navigational aid also. It lays claim to being the first in the world to experiment with laser technology which was first developed just 11 years earlier. The benefit over a conventional light was the ability to penetrate fog, something that is not common in the Sunshine State.
The experiment was unsuccessful in that it was unsatisfactory for shipping. The beam emitted was quite powerful but was too narrow to be easily seen by ships. It was replaced by a conventional light, an AGA PRB12 in mid 1972. The Laser apparatus can be viewed at the Queensland Maritime Museum.
91.7 Gold Coast ABC has a podcast talk about the lighthouse
Image: G Searle
Image: Queensland State Archives
https://www.flickr.com/photos/queenslandstatearchives/
© All images are copyright of their respective photographers and are not to be used without permission.
| Title | Address | Description |
|---|---|---|
Cleveland Point | 238 Shore St N, Cleveland QLD 4163, Australia | Cleveland Point |
Point Danger | 3 Tweed Terrace, Coolangatta QLD 4225, Australia | Point Danger |
Fingal Head | 1B Lighthouse Parade, Fingal Head NSW 2487, Australia | Fingal Head |
Keepers
This light was never manned.
Technical Details
| First Exhibited | 1971 |
| Architect | Les Nyerges - Gold Coast Council |
| Status | Active |
| Location | Latitude: 28°10' S Longitude: 153°33' E |
| Original Optic | Laser |
| Current Optic | |
| Demanned | |
| Construction | White concrete column towers |
| Height | 20 m |
| Elevation | 45 m |
| Range | Nominal 19 NM Geographical 18 NM |
| Character | White Grp. Fl. (2) 10 secs. |
| Intensity | |
| Light Source | |
| Power Source | Solar (2002) |
| Operator | NSW Roads and Maritime Services |
| Custodian | |
| Notes |
NB: Information is historical data and is not for navigational purposes.
Access
The tower is not open to the public. The lighthouse grounds are open all year round.
Tours
No tours are available.
Accommodation
No lighthouse accommodation is available