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
http://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/sites/default/files/no._100_lighthouses_on_wa_coast_0.pdf

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.