Lighthouses of Western Australia

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three white flashes, separated by 2 s, every 15 s. 15 m (49 st) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery; entire structure painted white. Winsome Bonham has an aerial photo. Located at the southwestern point of Bathurst Island, marking the beginning of the approach to Darwin from the Timor Sea. The island is an aboriginal reserve, and visitors require a permit from the Tiwi Islands Land Council. Tours are available from Darwin. Site open, tower closed. Operator/site manager: AMSA. ARLHS AUS-244; Admiralty 3318; NGA 9520.

Charles Point

1893. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); white flash every 5 s. 32 m (105 ft) hexagonal pyramidal cast iron skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern, and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The oldest lighthouse in Northern Territory. Unfortunately, there has been no public access to the light station since the late 1990s, when the surrounding land, formerly a Radio Australia facility, was sold to Christian Voice Broadcasting. Located on a headland at the western entrance to Port Darwin, about 25 km (15 mi) northwest of the city. Site and tower closed. Operator/site manager: Darwin Port Corporation (?). ARLHS AUS-056; Admiralty 3322; NGA 9524.

Emery Point (2)

1917 (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 18 m (60 ft); three flashes every 15 s, white or red depending on direction. 9.5 m (31 ft) square steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery; entire structure painted white. John Ibbotson has a good closeup photo. Located in the Larrakeyah Barracks, a historic military post at the entrance to the inner harbor of Darwin. Site and tower closed (Larrakeyah Barracks is now the headquarters of Australia's Northern Command). Operator: Darwin Port Corporation (?). Site manager: Larrakeyah Barracks. ARLHS AUS-071; Admiralty 3324; NGA 9528.

Cape Hotham

1928. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); three white flashes, separated by 2 s, every 15 s. 16.5 m (54 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery; entire structure painted white. Winsome Bonham has an aerial photo. Located at the end of a long peninsula about 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Darwin, marking the entrance to the Clarence Strait, the eastern approach to Darwin. Site status unknown, tower closed. Operator/site manager: AMSA. ARLHS AUS-245; Admiralty 3315; NGA 9544.

Cape Don

1917. Active; focal plane 50 m (163 ft); white flash every 10 s. 36 m (118 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery rising from an octagonal base. Tower unpainted, lantern painted white. Keeper's houses converted to a fishing lodge and available for overnight accommodations. Australia's northernmost traditional lighthouse, standing in latitude 11°18.0' S. This is the only Northern Territory lighthouse on the territory's Heritage Register. In 2005 the original Chance Brothers 1° Fresnel lens and rotating apparatus was located in storage and donated to the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane. Winsome Bonham has an aerial photo. Located on the tip of the Cobourg Peninsula, marking the entrance to the Dundas Strait. Accessible only by boat or by air. Site open, tower closed. Operator: AMSA. Site manager: Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. ARLHS AUS-028; Admiralty 3314; NGA 9548.