The Western Channel Pile Light, also known as the West Wedding Cake due to its shape, is an active

pile lighthouse A pile lighthouse is a type of lighthouse found in Australia, the United Kingdom and United States. In the United States they are found primarily in Florida, including on open reefs adjacent to the Florida Keys. The pile lighthouses on the reefs ...

located on

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

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 ...

, Australia, off Georges Head,

Mosman Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...

. It marks the western end of the Sow and Pigs Reef. It collapsed in December 2006 and was reconstructed and restored to operation in December 2008.

History

Western Channel Pile Light was completed in 1924, replacing a marker

buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navig ...

, together with

Eastern Channel Pile Light The Eastern Channel Pile Light, also known as the East Wedding Cake due to its shape, is an active pile lighthouse located on Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, off Laings Point, Vaucluse. It marks the eastern end of the Sow and Pigs ...

. It was constructed from concrete bottom (originally known as the "gas house"), supported by twelve piles, with a copper top and a wooden stakes skirt. It was originally gas powered (probably 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 ...

), and was later converted to

solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...

. In 1996 a stainless steel mast, serving as a weather station, was installed on the structure, providing information about weather conditions in the harbour. The lighthouse was due for replacement in 2007, and a budget was set, but on 12 December 2006 it collapsed, as one or two of the supporting piles broke. Sydney Ports Corporation employed Waterways Constructions to reconstruct the lighthouse. The new tower was designed to look as similar as possible to its predecessor, using the salvaged and renovated lantern house, and a new lower section. Reconstruction completed and the light returned to operation on 18 December 2008.

Site operation

The light is operated by the

Port Authority of New South Wales The Port Authority of New South Wales, is a corporation owned by the Government of New South Wales, Australia. It acts as harbourmaster at the state's six commercial seaports, managing shipping movements, safety, security and emergency respons ...

. It is accessible only by boat, and is closed to the public.

Notes

References

* Listed as "Western Channel Beacon." * * * *

External links

{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1924 Lighthouses in Sydney Sydney Harbour 1924 establishments in Australia