New Caloundra Light, also known as New Caloundra Head Light, is an inactive

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 in

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the town of Caloundra had a population of 96,305 people. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is acce ...

on the

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

South East Southeast is a compass point. Southeast, south-east, south east, southeastern, south-eastern, or south eastern may also refer to: * Southeast (direction), an intercardinal direction Places United Kingdom * South East England * South East Lond ...

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 stands on Canberra Terrace near downtown Caloundra. The lighthouse was active from 1968 to 1992. It has a unique design resembling an

airport control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

, the only surviving example of a lighthouse of this design in Australia.

History

Old Caloundra Light Old Caloundra Light, also known as Old Caloundra Head Light or Cape Caloundra Light, is an inactive lighthouse located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest surviving building in Caloundra. Th ...

had stood on Canberra Terrace since its construction in 1896, marking the entrance to the North West Channel, a deep water channel into

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 ...

and the

Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the main shipping port and a coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had "no people or a very low population". Geography Port of Brisbane is located in ...

. Changes in the shipping industry in the 1960s caused an increase in large container ships, which made the channel even more important. In May 1966 permission was granted for the construction of a modern structure comprising a combined lighthouse, signal station and radar station. The New Caloundra Light was erected in 1967, and was the second of a group of seven

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

towers erected between 1964 and 1979. By order of construction the lights were Cape Capricorn Light, New Caloundra Light, Point Danger Light,

New Burnett Heads Light The New Burnett Heads Light, also known as South Head Light, is an active lighthouse standing on the south side of the Burnett River entrance, in Burnett Heads, Queensland, Australia. In 1971 it replaced the Old Burnett Heads Light, which was r ...

Fitzroy Island Light Fitzroy Island Light is an inactive lighthouse on Fitzroy Island (Queensland), Fitzroy Island, a continental island southeast of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It was only active between 1973 and 1992 but, together with Little Fitzroy Island Lig ...

Point Cartwright Light Point Cartwright Light is an active lighthouse located on Point Cartwright, a point near the mouth of the Mooloolah River, in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia. It marks the entrance to the North West Channel, a deep water channel into Moreton ...

and

Archer Point Light Archer Point Light is an active lighthouse on Archer Point, a conical, grassy headland about 29km southeast of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia. Originally an 1883 timber frame lighthouse covered with galvanised iron, it was replaced in 1975 w ...

. The light source was two stacks of

sealed beam A parabolic aluminized reflector lamp (PAR lamp or simply PAR) is a type of electric lamp that is widely used in commercial, residential, and transportation illumination. It produces a highly directional beam. Usage includes theatrical lighti ...

lamps, installed on a revolving table. It had red and green sectors. While the light itself was fully automatic, the station was staffed due to the signal station. Four houses were constructed outside the station to accommodate the staff. The tower was constructed right next to the old lighthouse. By 1968 it became fully operational and the old lighthouse was deactivated. In 1970 the old lighthouse was relocated to avoid demolition. The lighthouse had a short lifespan as a coastal light. By 1978 the buildings in Caloundra had grown in height, obscuring it from some angles. In 1978

was constructed, and the New Caloundra Light was downgraded to a harbour light. The harbour light remained there until 1992,. states this as the date the signal station was destaffed, and states the light was moved "In the late 1990s". when it was moved to Wickham Point, together with a radar/microwave link replacing the signal station, and the station was destaffed. New Caloundra Light remained as backup, until it was finally shut off in 1997. The lighthouse's last display had a

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 two white flashes every ten seconds (Fl.G(2).W. 10s). The light was a 1,000,000 cd, 200

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 ...

array fed from

Mains electricity Mains electricity, utility power, grid power, domestic power, wall power, household current, or, in some parts of Canada, hydro, is a general-purpose Alternating current, alternating-current (AC) electric power supply. It is the form of electri ...

with a

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

backup, visible for . It was displayed at a focal height of .

Structure

The lighthouse structure, totaling in height, is quite unique, resembling an

. It comprises a square tower carrying a semicircular D-shaped observation room, with the rounded side facing east, and a lantern room is mounted on the roof of the observation room. While a similar structure was constructed at Lytton Hill, in

Lytton, Queensland Lytton is an outer riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Lytton had "no people or a very low population". The historical region was a significant naval base after the establishment of Fort Lytton between 18 ...

, serving as an observation tower, it was demolished in the 1990s, leaving the New Caloundra Light as the only surviving example of this design. The tower base measures . The entrance is from the western side, and a spiral concrete staircase leads to the observation room. The stairs have a steel tubular

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 ...

, and circle a service duct. One rectangular window is set in each of the four sides of the base, aligned with the staircase.

Cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

beams angle from the base to support the floor of the observation room. The observation room features windows on all sides. The eastern rounded side features a continuous band of windows, while the straight western side features four individual ones. The room includes an enclosed toilet in the northwest corner and central pillar with cavities linking to the roof level. A door in the southwest corner leads to a narrow balcony that wraps around the rounded part of the room. The balcony has a concrete floor and a

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

covered in asbestos cement sheeting rendered with

pebbledash Roughcast and pebbledash are durable coarse plaster surfaces used on outside walls. They consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel and often pebbles or shells. The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then thrown ...

on the exterior face. A steel ladder with safety grille on the northwest end leads to the flat roof. The roof is surrounded with a balustrade with

fibre cement Fibre cement is a composite building and construction material, used mainly in roofing material, roofing and facade products because of its strength of materials, strength and durability. One common use is in fiber cement siding on buildings. Mat ...

panels. The concrete constructed lantern room is located at the centre of the roof. It is a circular room with a flat concrete roof, wider at the roof than at the base. Trapezoidal steel frame window panes are set on the eastern side, the side facing the sea. The lantern can be accessed via a door on the southwest. A ladder on the northwest allows access to the roof of the lantern room, where radar and radio equipment is mounted. Another related structure is an orange brick generator shed just south of the lighthouse. It was built in 1967–1968 together with the lighthouse. Windows are set high on the wall, with a projecting brick

window sill A windowsill (also written window sill or window-sill, and less frequently in British English, cill) is the horizontal structure or surface at the bottom of a window. Window sills serve to structurally support and hold the window in place. The ...

below. An overhanging concrete roof forms a narrow

awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of Acrylic fiber, acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tight ...

. Entrance to the structure is on the northern side. The inside is composed of two rooms, a larger generator room and a smaller room in the northwest with an internal door.

Site operation and visiting

The site of the lighthouse is accessible, but the tower was originally closed to the public. In 2011, the Friends of the Caloundra Lighthouses applied for a license from the

Sunshine Coast Regional Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalg ...

to allow visits to the 1968 signal station and lighthouse. , the tower can be visited by contacting the Friends of the Caloundra Lighthouses.

Notes

References

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External links