Deal Island Lighthouse

Lighthouse in Tasmania, Australia

Lighthouse

39°29′39.5″S 147°19′21.1″E / 39.494306°S 147.322528°E / -39.494306; 147.322528TowerConstructed1848Constructiongranite towerAutomated1921Height22 metres (72 ft)Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lanternMarkingswhite tower and lanternOperatorTasmania Parks & Wildlife ServiceLightDeactivated1992Focal height305 metres (1,001 ft)Lens1st order Fresnel lensRange24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi)CharacteristicFl (3) W 20s.^[1]

The Deal Island Lighthouse is an inactive lighthouse located on Deal Island which makes part of the Kent Group National Park, Tasmania, Australia.^[2]

History

Deal Island has the highest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere, standing 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level and was sometimes visible at night from Wilson's Promontory, 80 kilometres (50 mi) away.^{[citation needed]} The lighthouse was built in 1848 and deactivated in 1992. While active, the height caused problems with visibility in low cloud conditions.

Management and conservation is under the control of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.^[3] On 26 April 1943, during World War II, a Royal Australian Air Force A25 Airspeed Oxford aircraft crashed, killing all four crewmen. The aircraft wreck and their graves are about 15 metres (49 ft) apart at the bottom of the cliff. The bodies have since been disinterred and buried at Springvale, Victoria.^[4] Eyewitness accounts say the plane flew low over a ship which was actually a wreck, and then failed to regain enough height before hitting the cliff.

References

^ Deal Island Lighthouse Lighthouses of Australia inc.
^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Tasmania". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
^ "Deal Island lighthouse". Lighthouses of Tasmania. Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
^ "Picking up the wrecked pieces". The Age Online. Fairfax Media. May 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2015.