Breaksea Island Lighthouse

The first tower on Breaksea Island was commenced in May 1857 by Royal Engineers under Capt. Wray. The cost was borne by the Imperial Government with all materials sent from England.

History

Made to a design by the Colonial Lighthouse Engineer at the Board of Trade in London, the 13.1m high octagonal cast-iron tower was imported from England and assembled on Breaksea Island at the entrance to King George’s Sound by convicts in 1858.

The lighthouse was lit by a 2nd order catadioptric light with oil burners and was placed 116.7m asl and was visible for 9 leagues (27 NM). The island was connected to Albany by telephone in 1885.

The current tower in rough dressed stone and standing 7.3m tall was built in 1901 and was given a Chance Brothers 1st order fixed lens housed inside a massive 14′ (4.3m) lantern. The contract price for the tower was £2700. In 1915 the lens was valued at £3251.

Manning ceased in 1926 and the light became lit by acetylene gas. Gas cylinders were pulled by seamen harnessed to a cart and later by jeep. In 1984 it was converted to Solar power.

Lighthouses on the Western Australian Coast and Off-Shore Islands
1995 Author/s D.A. Cumming, M. Glasson and M. McCarthy
http://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/maritime-reports/lighthouses-western-australian-coast-and-shore-islands

Click to access no._100_lighthouses_on_wa_coast_0.pdf

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© All images are copyright of their respective photographers and are not to be used without permission.

Title	Address	Description
Cape Leeuwin	Leeuwin Rd, Augusta WA 6290, Australia	Go to Cape Leeuwin
Breaksea Island	Unnamed Road, Nanarup WA 6330, Australia	Go to Breaksea Island
Cave Point	Unnamed Road, Torndirrup WA 6330, Australia	Go to Cave Point
Eclipse Island	The Gap Rd, Torndirrup WA 6330, Australia	Go to Eclipse Island
Cape Naturaliste	Bunker Bay Walk Trail, Naturaliste WA 6281, Australia	Go to Cape Naturaliste
Casuarina Point	1 Bennett Way, Bunbury WA 6230, Australia	Go to Casuarina Point
Arthur Head	15 Captains Ln, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia	Go to Arthur Head
South Mole	1 Fleet St, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia	Go to South Mole
North Mole	N Mole Dr, North Fremantle WA 6159, Australia	North Mole
Woodman Point	597 Cockburn Rd, Munster WA 6166, Australia	Go to Woodman Point
Wadjemup (Rottnest)	Wadjemup Rd, Rottnest Island WA 6161, Australia	Go to Wadjemup (Rottnest)
Bathurst Point	Lancier St, Rottnest Island WA 6161, Australia	Go to Bathurst Point
Guilderton	5 Tank Road, Guilderton WA 6041, Australia	Go to Guilderton
Escape Island	Escape Island, Western Australia, Australia	Go to Escape Island
Pelsaert Island	Houtman Abrolhos WA 6530, Australia	Go to Pelsaert Island
Point Moore	481-485 Marine Terrace, West End WA 6530, Australia	Go to Point Moore
Bluff Point	118A Kempton St, Bluff Point WA 6530, Australia	Go to Bluff Point
Cape Inscription	Unnamed Road, Dirk Hartog Island WA 6537, Australia	Go to Cape Inscription
Babbage Island	13 Annear Pl, Babbage Island WA 6701, Australia	Go to Babbage Island
Point Quobba	Unnamed Road, Macleod WA 6701, Australia	Go to Point Quobba
Point Cloates	Cardabia-Ningaloo Rd, Ningaloo WA 6701, Australia	Go to Point Cloates
Vlaming Head	Yardie Creek Rd, North West Cape WA 6707, Australia	Got to Vlaming Head
Jarman Island	Reader Head Rd, Cossack WA 6720, Australia	Go to Jarman Island
Gantheaume Point	Lurujarri Walk, Minyirr WA 6725, Australia	Go to Gantheaume Point
Cape Bossut	Cape Bossut, Lagrange WA 6725, Australia	Go to Cape Bossut
Cape Leveque	Broome-Cape Leveque Rd, Dampier Peninsula WA 6725, Australia	Go to Cape Leveque
Caffarelli Island	Caffarelli Island, Western Australia, Australia	Go to Caffarelli Island

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	1858
CurrentTower	1902
Architect
Status	Active
Location	Lat: 35° 03.8680' S Long: 118° 03.4510' E
Original Optic
Current Optic	Chance 920 mm f.r. with 160° vertically de-centred dioptric mirror
Automated
Demanned	1926
Construction	Grey stone tower and white Chance 14′ diameter lantern
Height	16 m
Elevation	119 m
Range	Nominal: 13 nm Geographical: 27 nm
Character	Fl. W. (2) in 6 secs
Intensity	5,900 cd
Light Source	12V 35W C8 Halogen
Power Source	Solar Conv'n: Nov 1984
Operator	AMSA
Notes	As at Sept 2015