Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse

1907 was an eventful year for this lighthouse with the wreck of the Carnarvon Castle and the impact of a fireball on the tower and quarters.

History

At least 12 ships have come to grief in the strong currents and dangerous reefs which lie off Cape Naturaliste’s sharp point.

The Halcyon was completely wrecked in 1844. The Day Dawn, the Gaff and the Dao all went ashore during gales at Quindalup or near Toby’s Inlet. The Phoenix, a 684 ton Danish ship loaded with jarrah was swept ashore in 1895, and the Paragon met with the same fate.

American whalers frequented the coast in great numbers during the 1840’s. During January 1841 there were 17 ships in Geographe Bay, nearly all were whalers. Three American whalers were wrecked on the south west coast of Western Australia on 8 July 1840 in a gale: the Samuel Wright, the North America and the Governor Endicott.

The lighthouse’s predecessor was known as ‘The Tub’ – it was a barrel on top of a 30 foot pole in Busselton which marked the best landing place for passengers and stores.

Later a lantern hung from the top of the pole so it could be seen at night.

In 1873, this was replaced by a wooden structure called ‘The Lighthouse’. This in turn was later pulled down.

The Cape Naturaliste tower, positioned on a 100 m high bluff overlooking Geographe Bay, was constructed in 1903 from local limestone, quarried about one mile from the lighthouse at what is known as the “Quarries”.

Bullock wagons carted the stone from the quarry and most of the other materials and apparatus landed at nearby Eagle Bay. This included the lens and turntable weighing 12 1/2 tons.

Late one evening, during the lighthouse’s construction, while being unloaded from a ship on the Quindalup Jetty, a jar of valuable mercury fell into the sea. Despite a warning to stay away until it could be reclaimed by the proper authorities, a sailor dived for it, but drowned in the course of trying to bring the heavy weight to the surface.

The next day in the morning light no sign of it could be found. The heavy weight and movement of water had moved the jar well below the sand.

The mercury has never been recovered. so, some small fortune of mercury lies hidden beneath the encroaching sand dunes at Quindalup.

The steps loading up the tower were made from wooden teak blocks dowelled together and placed grain-end up for long wearing. These step are still in good order and in use today.

The three keepers’ quarters, of stone construction, were built in 1904.

The light was exhibited for the first time in 1904.

The apparatus was originally powered by an incandescent vapourised kerosene lamp.

The power was increased to 1,213,000 candles in 1924.

The light was converted to automatic operation in 1978 and the keepers were reduced to one.

The light is painted with a special acrylic to match the original stone.

Although Cape Naturaliste was relatively close to settlement, life was still hard for lightkeepers and their families. With no paid annual leave or travel assistance, lightkeepers remained at their isolated stations for many years. Once a fortnight stores were delivered from Busselton. The nearest school was 20 kilometres (14 miles) away at Quindalup.

continued below …

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

1907 was an eventful year for the lightstation. The wreck of the Carnarvon Castle, which had caught fire off the the south east of Western Australia, saw the rescue of 14 seaman after weeks at sea in lifeboats. The crew stayed at the headkeeper’s home until they were well enough to travel.

The other major event was a fireball that did immense damage to the station. Ethel Baird (Mrs E Bovel) whose father, Patrick David Baird, who was appointed officer in charge when the lighthouse was built and opened in 1903, describes the experience.

“All this happened a few years ago at Cape Naturaliste lighthouse, which stands high on the hill, the ocean all round, on three sides. The three cottages are at the bottom of the hill below the lighthouse.

It was July 1907 when we experienced the impact of the fire ball. Father was the only one on duty, the time was 9.00am one of the Assistant Lightkeepers had gone 25 miles to the small town of Busselton, for supplies and food for the three families. The second Assistant had gone to Yallingup Cave House to collect all the postal mail, papers etc. for the lighthouse which was collected once a week.

It was 8.30am, a storm had been raging for 5 days, then it turned into a severe electric storm with terrible flashes of lightning and thunder which was deafening, then everything went quiet all of a sudden. We were standing looking out of the window facing North East, wondering if we could now go outside. It became very dark, then a large red ball of fire slowly appeared on the horizon. We watched it as it slowly moved towards us, the air became very warm. We were very frightened and then as it came closer, Mother quickly pushed we children under the beds. She got under a heavy dining room table, only just in time an the fire ball struck our house, breaking windows, the telephone rang violently, then it burst from the wall with a loud explosion, the noise was terrible. Mother became worried as Father was on duty up at the lighthouse. She put a coat on and rushed out leaving us screaming under the beds, to see if Father was safe. The pathway was all ripped up, to a depth of approximately 4′ along the underground phone line from our house to the lighthouse. The wind was so strong that it almost knocked Mother over.

When she reached the lighthouse and went upstairs, on to the first landing, things were in a mess. Father said later that he put his hand on the phone to put through a weather report, and it blew up and out from the wall, knocking my Father unconscious. A long large cupboard, which was strongly bolted with long bolts to the wall, was blown from the wall. It had a lightning conductor running up the wall behind the cupboard from the ground to the top of the lighthouse dome and outside. This was twisted and torn. Everything was tossed and smashed up, that had been in the, path of the fire ball. It was terrible.

After the fire ball struck, there was loud thunder and lightning, like hell let loose for about an hour. Then the severity of the storm subsided and it became very quiet. Very heavy rain came down and lasted for a few hours, slowly stopping. Then everything cleared, the sun shone through and it looked so peaceful with raindrops glistening on trees and flowers.

The absence of the two keepers placed a heavy burden on Mother. We two children were her only helpers at the time. so she sent us two miles to ask the Farmer, Mr. Curtis, for help. He had to ride horseback twelve miles to Caves House, Yallingup, to the nearest ‘phone, for help from Busselton

A doctor had to be brought 25 miles to the lighthouse. We were cut off with no ‘phones. Father was ill and had a long cut on his head which had to be sutured up (stitched). Mother was also suffering from shock. Father was ill for eight weeks and off duty.

It’s surprising the amount of damage a fire ball causes, when it strikes its terror and I never want to see another one. It left us all in a highly nervous condition for come time and every time there was a bad storm we were all terrified an to what would happen next. In the years to follow, we had many severe storms in the winter, but we never saw another fire ball, which seems to be something that rarely happens.

It takes years to overcome the fear of storms. “

It is interesting to note that the storm must have been severe as the lightkeeper was still on duty at 9.00am in the morning.

 

Cape Naturaliste 33 32S 115 02E
1904 CB 14′ lantern
With a short circular conical masonry tower built of local limestone placed on a high cliff 18 miles west of Busselton, commissioned 1903
first order lens from Chance Bros produced 755,000 candelas. It was described in 1923 and in 1948 as a light exhibited at an elevation of 404ft on a grey stone tower 62ft high about 1 mile from the extreme of the cape. The lloyds signal station at the lighthouse was connected by telephone with the main telegraph system. Its light was upgraded to 1.2 million candelas in 1924 and subsequently converted to electric illumination. In 1983 power was being supplied from the mains with standby diesal generators.
The three quarters for light keepers were still on site in sept 1993.
One is used as an office for the custodian/guides. Another is a museum housing the original Jarman Island lens. In the grounds is the self contained acetylene beacon from the Great Sandy Island light. The light, the last to be manned will become automatic late in 1995.
Contractor: Anderson
Erected: 11/2/03-11/12/03
Contract Price: p4800
Capital cost 1915: optical p5425 total p12.470

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

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 Exhibited15th April 1904
ArchitectWT Douglass
StatusActive
LocationLat: 33° 32.2390' S Long: 115° 01.1210’ E
Current OpticChance 920mm focal radius 2 panel catadioptric lens with catadioptric reinforcing mirror
Automated20th July 1978
DemannedSeptember 1996
ConstructionCircular sandstone tower and Chance 14.0" dia lantern
Height19 m
Elevation123 m
RangeNominal: 25 nm Geographical: 27 nm
CharacterFl. W. (2) in 10 secs
Intensity930,000 cd
Light SourceSealite SL-324 LED array
Power Source240AC
OperatorAMSA
NotesAs at June 2022
  NB: Information is historical data and is not for navigational purposes.

Access

The lighthouse is set in an 8 hectare reserve which abuts the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park. Busselton, the nearest major town, is located 27 kilometres to the south east. Access is obtained by road.

The Cape Naturaliste Tourism Association operates the tours.

Site Access

The lighthouse grounds are open all year round.

Tours

No tours are available.

Accommodation

No lighthouse accommodation is available

Museum

Detail to come.

Friends Group

There is no Friends Group

Associated Lighthouse

Detail to come.

Links

Detail to come.

Sources

  • Detail to come  External link