 North Reef Light from the air, 2007 | |
 | |
| Location | North Reef Queensland Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 23°11′07″S 151°54′11″E / 23.18516°S 151.90306°E |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1878 |
| Foundation | cast concrete |
| Construction | timber frame clad with galvanised wrought iron |
| Height | 80 feet (24 m)[1] |
| Shape | conical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | white tower, red lantern dome |
| Power source | solar power  |
| Operator | Australian Maritime Safety Authority |
| Heritage | listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List |
| Racon | Q |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 75 feet (23 m) |
| Lens | VRB-25 |
| Intensity | 35,050 cd |
| Range | 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl (2) W 15s. |
North Reef Light is an active lighthouse located on North Reef, a 5.6 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi) planar reef,[2] about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia in the Capricorn and Bunker Group. The lighthouse was constructed on a migratory patch of sand inside a fringing coral reef, which over the years disappeared and reappeared, as sand was washed away and accumulated, and is now a vegetated sandy island. Its construction is unique, having a hollow concrete base that both gives it resistance to the shifting nature of the sandbar and serves as a freshwater tank.[3] As such, it is considered one of the major achievement in Australian lighthouse construction.[4] It is also notable in that due to the harsh conditions, only bachelors were allowed to serve as lighthouse keepers.[3] At 24 metres (79 ft) it is also the tallest of Queensland's timber-framed iron clad lighthouses.[5]
- ^ List of Lights. Rowlett lists a close "24 m (78 ft)".
- ^ "AIMS Research - Reef Monitoring". data.aims.gov.au. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ a b Lighthouses of Australia Inc.
- ^ AHD16455.
- ^ Marquis-Kyle 2009, p. 4.