Crowdy Head Lighthouse

Crowdy Head Lighthouse, originally uploaded by Michael.Sutton.

LOCATION: Lat. 31° 50.7' S, Long. 152° 45.3' E (map)
OPERATOR: Australian Maritime Safety Authority
EXHIBITED: 1878
CONSTRUCTION: Stone
CHARACTER: Group Flashing 2 every 10 seconds
LIGHT SOURCE: Mains Electricity
POWER SOURCE: Mains Power
INTENSITY: 28,000 cd
ELEVATION: 61 metres
RANGE: 16 nautical miles
HEIGHT: 7.3 metres
AUTOMATED: 1928
DEMANNED: 1928
DEACTIVATED: No
CUSTODIAN: Dept Infrastructure, Planning & Natural Resources
HERITAGE: Register of the National Estate

History

A pilot station was established in 1860 at nearby Harrington to assist ships navigating the entrance of the Manning River with cargoes of timber, livestock and limestone.

In 1878, a fixed catadioptric light of less than 1,000 candelas was erected on Crowdy Head.

It was the last of a series of small lighthouses designed by James Barnet, the others being Fingal Head, Richmond River, Clarence River and Tacking Point.

The Crowdy Head tower was made of stone and painted white.

The original light was a fixed white light of fourth order catadioptric type
It was originally manned by one lightkeeper.

In 1928 the apparatus was converted to automatic acetylene operation providing 1500 candelas and the keepers withdrawn.

The light was finally converted to mains electricity in June 1972.

The demise of the shipping industry saw the closure of the pilot station in the 1960s.