Bonnet Island Lighthouse

The Entrance Island and Bonnet Island Lighthouses stand at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour, a huge inland sea of about 260 square kilometres. Bonnet Island has an area of 2.2 ha.

History

The narrow 120 metre entrance to the huge Macquarie Harbour was discovered in 1815.

Within a year, timber cutters moved in and navigating the narrow entrance and its sandbar was an ever present hazard to vessels entering and exiting the harbour.

A signal station was erected near Cape Sorell in 1822 to indicate conditions to vessels entering the harbour. It was manned by convicts from the newly established penal settlement at Sarah Island.

The conditions were so bad at the new Sarah Island that the convicts named the entrance to the harbour Hells Gate. Other records indicate the name was used due to the enormous rush of the tides through the entrance to the harbour which can create very dangerous conditions.

In the 1890’s the discovery of silver and lead at Zeehan greatly increased the traffic entering the harbour works were taken to improve the entrance.

in 1891, a light was exhibited from two white eight sided (octagonal) wooden towers, one on the western side of Entrance Island, and the other on Bonnet Island. Also a breakwater was constructed at Hells Gate to check the sandbar and in 1899 a light was constructed a Cape Sorell.

A three roomed cottage was constructed on Bonnet island where a single keeper lived. On the opposite shore the Head lived and assisted when needed by rowing his boat across.

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Title	Address	Description
Blinking Billy	Blinking Billy Point Reserve, 652 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay TAS 7005, Australia	Blinking Billy
John Garrow Shoal	Blinking Billy Point Reserve, 652 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay TAS 7005, Australia	John Garrow Shoal
Derwent Lighthouse Iron Pot	Iron Pot, Tasmania, Australia	Derwent Lighthouse Iron Pot
Tasman Island	Tasman Island, Tasmania, Australia	Tasman Island
Cape Bruny	Cape Bruny Lighthouse Tours, Lighthouse Rd, South Bruny TAS 7150, Australia	Cape Bruny
Maatsuyker Island	Unnamed Road, Tasmania, Australia	Maatsuyker Island
Cape Sorell	Unnamed Road, Macquarie Heads TAS 7468, Australia	Cape Sorell
Entrance Island	Unnamed Road, Macquarie Heads TAS 7468, Australia	Entrance Island
Bonnet Island	Macquarie Harbour,, TAS, Australia	Bonnet Island
Bluff Hill Point	Bluff Hill Rd, Marrawah TAS 7330, Australia	Bluff Hill Point
West Point	Unnamed Road, Marrawah TAS 7330, Australia	West Point
Sandy Cape	Unnamed Road, West Coast TAS 7321, Australia	Sandy Cape
Stokes Point	Unnamed Road, Surprise Bay TAS 7256, Australia	Stokes Point
Currie Harbour	LOT 1 Lighthouse St, Currie TAS 7256, Australia	Currie Harbour
Cape Wickham	687 Cape Wickham Rd, Wickham TAS 7256, Australia	Cape Wickham
Councillor Island	Councillor Island, Tasmania, Australia	Councillor Island
Highfield Point	Unnamed Road, Stanley TAS 7331, Australia	Highfield Point
Highfield Point Old	Marine Park, 14 Wharf Rd, Stanley TAS 7331, Australia	Highfield Point Old
Rocky Cape	Rocky Cape Rd, Rocky Cape TAS 7321, Australia	Rocky Cape
Table Cape	Lighthouse Rd, Table Cape TAS 7325, Australia	Table Cape
Round Hill Point	Chasm Creek Lighthouse, 1A Bass Hwy, Chasm Creek TAS 7321, Australia	Round Hill Point
Mersey Bluff	39 Bluff Access Rd, Devonport TAS 7310, Australia	Mersey Bluff
Devonport Leading Lights	6 Victoria Parade, Devonport TAS 7310, Australia	Devonport Leading Lights
Devonport Leading Lights	26 Best St, Devonport TAS 7310, Australia	Devonport Leading Lights
Low Head	496 Low Head Rd, Low Head TAS 7253, Australia	Low Head
Middle Channel (Tamar Rear Leading Light)	180 Low Head Rd, Low Head TAS 7253, Australia	Middle Channel (Tamar Rear Leading Light)
Sheoak Point (Tamar Front Leading Light)	199 Low Head Rd, Low Head TAS 7253, Australia	Sheoak Point (Tamar Front Leading Light)
Swan Island	Unnamed Road, Tasmania, Australia	Swan Island
Goose Island	Flinders, TAS, Australia	Goose Island
Eddystone Point	Eddystone Light Station, 2986 Eddystone Point Rd, Eddystone TAS 7264, Australia	Eddystone Point
Deal Island	Unnamed Road, Tasmania 7255, Australia	Deal Island
Cape Tourville	Cape Tourville Rd, Coles Bay TAS 7215, Australia	Cape Tourville
Cape Forestier (Lemon Rock)	Freycinet National Park, Coles Bay Rd, Coles Bay TAS 7215, Australia	Cape Forestier (Lemon Rock)
Point Home	Unnamed Road, Triabunna TAS 7190, Australia	Point Home

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The Strahan Marine Board purchased a dredge in 1909 and continued to improve the entrance so that many large vessels could enter.

The Entrance Light was powered by gas until 1977, when solar panels and batteries took over.

An officer of the Strahan Marine Board was stationed at Strahan until 19 May 1970, when the Hobart Marine Board took over.

The weatherboard cladding was renewed in 1989.

Keepers

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.

Technical Details

First Exhibited	1891
Permanent Tower
CurrentTower	1891
Architect
Status	Active
Location
Original Optic	Chance Bros 4th order
Current Optic
Automated
Demanned
Construction	Timber
Height
Elevation
Range
Character
Intensity
Light Source
Power Source	Solar
Operator
Custodian
Notes

NB: Information is historical data and is not for navigational purposes.

Access

The lighthouses can be reached by boat from the port of Strahan. There are regular tours of Macquarie Harbour that include the lights.

Tours

Tours of the island are available. The lighthouse tower is not open.

Accommodation

No lighthouse accommodation is available

Associated Lighthouse

Entrance Island Lighthouse