Cape Hotham Light

Cape Hotham Light

Cape Hotham, 1928
Northern Territory
Location	Clarence Strait Northern Territory Australia
Coordinates	12°2′47″S 131°17′22.22″E / 12.04639°S 131.2895056°ECoordinates: 12°2′47″S 131°17′22.22″E / 12.04639°S 131.2895056°E
Year first constructed	1910s[1]
Year first lit	9th November 1928
Automated	since construction has been unattended light
Deactivated	still in use
Foundation	concrete
Construction	skeletal tower
Tower shape	square frusrum toer with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	white tower and lantern
Height	54 feet (16 m)
Focal height	56 feet (17 m)
Current lens	Chance 400mm fixed catadioptric
Range	W. 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) R. 9 nmi (17 km; 10 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (3) WR 15 s.
Admiralty number	K3315
NGA number	111-9544
ARLHS number	AUS-245
Managing agent	Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Plans for the optical apparatus installed in Cape Hotham Light, 1926

Cape Hotham Light is an active lighthouse located on Cape Hotham, which is on the shore of the Timor Sea on a long unnamed peninsula about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The lighthouse marks the entrance to Clarence Strait, the eastern approach to Darwin.^[2]

The lighthouse was constructed by the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service during the "Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses", between 1913 and 1920.^[1]

The light characteristic shown is three flashes, one every two seconds, repeating every 15 seconds (Fl.(3)W.R. 15s). The color is red on 025°-070° and white elsewhere. The red light is visible for 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) while the white light is visible for 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi).^[3]

The site is accessible by boat from Darwin,^[4] but the tower is closed to the public. The light is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.^[2]

Cape Hotham

Cape Hotham was named by John Clements Wickham on 26 July 1839, honoring Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham.^[5] It is listed in the Register of the National Estate as the "Cape Hotham Forest Reserve", listing "representative ecosystems of the Top End, including monsoon rainforest containing kentia palm (Gronophyllum ramsayi)".^[6]

See also

• List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Australia

Notes

1. According to Komesaroff 1977. Rowlett and Searle lists 1928.
2. Rowlett.
3. List of Lights
4. Sydney Heritage Fleet.
5. Discovery, under "Draytons Ree".
6. RNE11.

References

• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Northern Territory". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
• Searle, Garry. "List of Lighthouses - Northern Territory". Lighthouses of Australia. SeaSide Lights.
• List of Lights, Pub. 111, The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2009. p. 188.
• Komesaroff, Michael B. (May 1977). "The Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses". The Victorian Historical Journal 48 (2). reprinted in "The Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses". Lighthouses of Australia Inc Bulletin (5). September 2003.
• "Sydney Heritage Fleet - List of Museums". shf.org.au. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
• "The Discovery and Exploration of Australia". australiaoncd.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
• "Cape Hotham Forest Reserve (listing RNE11)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

External links

• "List of Lighthouses of Northern Territory". Lighthouses of Australia. Lighthouses of Australia Inc.