Emery Point Light is an active

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 at

Larrakeyah Barracks Larrakeyah Barracks, incorporating , is the main base for the Australian Defence Force in the Northern Territory of Australia, and occupies the headland west of the suburb of Larrakeyah, Northern Territory, Larrakeyah in the capital, Darwin, No ...

, the main base for the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

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 ...

, at the entrance to

Port Darwin Port Darwin is the port in Darwin, Northern Territory, and is the most northerly port in Australia. The port has operated in a number of locations, including Stokes Hill Wharf, Cullen Bay, and East Arm Wharf. Since 2015, the port has bee ...

. It was the second lighthouse to be built in Port Darwin. It was the only

navigational aid A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

to remain functional in the path of

Cyclone Tracy Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...

.According to . Note that Point Charles Light also survived, but was not functional at the time, see .

History

The first light at Emery Point was established in 1900, and dismantled in May 1915, in preparation for the installation of the current lighthouse, which was installed later that year. Its construction was part of the "Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses", taking place between 1913 and 1920. The original light source was a

carbide lamp A carbide lamp or acetylene gas lamp is a simple lamp that produces and burns acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O). Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse beac ...

(

acetylene gas Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is a chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure for ...

lamp). It was converted to electric power on 23 March 1966, with an acetylene gas standby. The current light source is a 1,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

tungsten-halogen lamp. In

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

of 1974,

hit the city of Darwin. Emery Point Light was the only navigational aid to remain functional in the path of the storm. Over the years, 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 ...

shown was changed. The original characteristic was an occulting light, with an eclipse of 1.5 seconds every six seconds (Oc. 6s). It used to have a range of . The current light characteristic shown is three flashes, one every two seconds, repeating every 15 seconds (Fl.(3)W.R. 15s). The colour is red on -181° and white on 335°-139°. The red light is visible for while the white light is visible for .''List of Lights''

Emery Point

Emery Point was originally called ''Goondal''. It was named after a Lieutenant Emery, who discovered fresh water at the base of the cliff.

Structure

The current tower, dating from 1915, is a square metal skeletal tower, painted white, topped with a lantern. Its height is from the base to the lantern, and the focal height (height of the light above sea level) is .

Visiting and operation

The site and the tower are inside a military base and are closed to the public, though a sea view is possible. The light is operated by the Darwin Port Corporation.

Notes

References

* * * reprinted in * * * * *

External links

* {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1900 Lighthouses completed in 1915 Lighthouses in the Northern Territory