Cleveland Point Light, also known as Point Cleveland Light, is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

located on the north-eastern tip of Cleveland Point, at

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Redland City Redland City, also known as the Redlands and formerly known as Redland Shire, is a Local government in Australia, local government area (LGA) and a part of Brisbane, Greater Brisbane in South East Queensland, Australia. With a population of 159 ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It overlooks

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

to the east and Raby Bay to the west. The old lighthouse was established in 1864–1865 as a wooden hexagonal tower. It is one of only two surviving lighthouses of this form, the other being Old Burnett Heads Light. A newer light, constructed of a concrete post, replaced it in 1976, and the old lighthouse was relocated a short distance away, where it stands today. The newer light was removed in 2009. An early 1847 private beacon was replaced by a temporary government light in 1864, and then the permanent tower in 1865. The lens was upgraded twice, in 1874 and 1879. In 1934 the lighthouse was converted to electricity, and remained so until 1976 when it was deactivated and replaced by a concrete pile light constructed just away. The original tower was moved away in 1979 and restored in 1987. While

timber frame Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

and cladding construction is typical for the area and period, both the hexagonal form and the

weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...

cladding are unique. The tower is surmounted with a red painted lantern room and a hexagonal gallery. Both towers were easily accessible. The newer tower consisted of concrete posts supported by two vertical concrete bars. The old tower is easily accessible to the public as was the newer one, but entering is not allowed.

Original lighthouse

History

The first navigation aid on Cleveland Point was a beacon established in 1847, by

Francis Edward Bigge Francis Edward Bigge (1820—1915) was a pioneer pastoralist and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council. He championed the development ...

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, at his expense, as part of his lobbying of Cleveland as the port for Moreton Bay. In the middle of the 19th century, small coastal

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

s became a main means of transport for farmers in Moreton Bay, specifically in Cleveland, Victoria Point,

Redland Bay Redland Bay is a coastal semi-rural locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the , Redland Bay had a population of 17,056 people. Since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, Redland Bay has remained a f ...

and along the

Logan River The Logan River (Yugambeh dialect, Yugambeh: ''Dugulumba'') is a perennial river in the Scenic Rim Region, Scenic Rim, City of Logan, Logan and City of Gold Coast, Gold Coast local government areas of the South East Queensland, South East region ...

and Albert River. Several lights were established around that period to assist navigation in Moreton Bay, notorious for its rocks and moving

mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

s and sandbanks. In some places where no official light was established, locals would install their own lights, as was the case in Cleveland Point. In the 1860s the

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the state Legislative Assembly, with the governo ...

decided to replace these lights with a permanent light. The first temporary government light was displayed in April 1864. The permanent light was constructed in late 1864 to early 1865. The original light source was a fixed

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

operated light, visible for . In 1874 a refurbished

Chance Brothers Chance Brothers and Company was an English glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands (county), West Midlands (formerly in Staffordshire), in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassma ...

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

from Comboyuro Point Light on

Moreton Island Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Moreton Island lies northeast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane. ...

replaced the original lens. The apparatus was upgraded to a more powerful Chance Brothers lens in 1879. Two red sectors, indicating close by

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...

s were installed in 1920. In 1934 the lighthouse was converted to electricity and the City Electric Light Company Limited became the responsible operator. The light source was a round concentrated

filament lamp An incandescent light bulb, also known as an incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe, is an electric light that produces illumination by Joule heating a filament until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb that is either ...

. In 1969 the lighthouse took part in experiment in the use of

laser beam A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of rad ...

s as aid to navigation. In 1976 the lighthouse was deactivated and replaced by a concrete pile light which was constructed just away. In March 1976 the original lighthouse was moved away about away. The

Redland Shire Council Redland City, also known as the Redlands and formerly known as Redland Shire, is a Local government in Australia, local government area (LGA) and a part of Brisbane, Greater Brisbane in South East Queensland, Australia. With a population of 159 ...

restored the lighthouse in 1987.

Notable light keepers

The first

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

was Alfred Winship, who served from 1864 to 1877. The second keeper was James Troy, who served along with his family for 50 years until 1927, the longest-serving lightkeeper at one lighthouse in Australia. From 1927 to 1951 the keeper was Charles Klemm. Other keepers served for shorter periods after that.

Structure

The white painted tapering tower is

d, as typical for Queensland lighthouses of the late 19th century. However, it is quite unusual in that it is hexagonal in form, rather than round in form like most lighthouses of the period, and clad with weatherboards, rather than the typical metal. While several other lighthouses of the period were clad this way, the only other surviving example is Old Burnett Heads Light. The inside of the tower is unpainted. It comprises three levels connected by a ladder. A timber floor opens to the west of the first floor, while two windows are at the first and second levels, on the eastern face. On top of the tower is a red painted iron alloy lantern room capped with an iron alloy dome. It holds six panels, five clear glazed and one of red perspex. A hatch under the sill on the western face opens to the gallery. The gallery is wooden, hexagonal in form, with a pipe

handrail A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Great Britain, Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are commonly used while ascending or descending stairways and escala ...

, supported on metal

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. A stay is sometimes used as a synonym for ...

New lighthouse

The new lighthouse was established in 1976. It was an unpainted concrete post with a metal gallery, supported by two vertical concrete bars. It was located on the site of the original lighthouse. In 2009, the lighthouse was disassembled to fit a large prop boat for the filming of the 2010 film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' in its location. It was recommended for restoration in 2010, with ownership to transfer to

Redland City Council Redland City, also known as the Redlands and formerly known as Redland Shire, is a Local government in Australia, local government area (LGA) and a part of Brisbane, Greater Brisbane in South East Queensland, Australia. With a population of 159 ...

as a tourist icon rather than for maritime safety purposes.

Display

The

light characteristic A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular somewhat navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists ...

of the newer light was a flash every three seconds, red or white depending on the sector (Fl.W.R. 3s). White flashes, visible for , are shown on 160°-225° and 285°-311°. Red flashes, visible for , are shown on 225°-285° and 311°-160°.

Site operation and visiting

The site where the old lighthouse is located is managed by the

and is accessible to the public, but its interior is closed. The 1879 Chance Brothers lens is on display at the

chambers in Cleveland.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Grant and Tracey's Lighthouse Pages - Cleveland Point, Brisbane
{{Authority control , additional=Q107296915 Lighthouses completed in 1865 Lighthouses completed in 1976 Lighthouses in Queensland Queensland Heritage Register Queensland places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate 1865 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures in Redland City Moreton Bay Cleveland, Queensland