To mark International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on 17-18 August, AMSA is encouraging West Australians to visit their local lighthouses.
AMSA operates three lighthouses that are regularly open to the public in Western Australia. These lighthouses are located at Cape Naturaliste, near Dunsborough; Cape Leeuwin, near Augusta; and Rottnest Island.
Cape Leeuwin was named by Matthew Flinders on 7 December 1801, and is located at the most south westerly point of mainland Australia at the confluence of the Southern and Indian Oceans.
The Cape Leeuwin lighthouse was built in 1906. It is 39 metres tall, features a spiral staircase comprising 186 steps and is built of local limestone blacks. The lighthouse became automated in 1992.
AMSA Chief Executive Officer Graham Peachey said International Lighthouse Day was held annually across the globe to celebrate the significant role of lighthouses in our history.
“Lighthouses have been used as an aid to navigation for hundreds of years and are a unique part of Australia’s history and coastline,” Mr Peachey said.
“Australia’s coastline has more than 350 lighthouses which have been erected over the past 200 years on islands, beaches and in harbours to improve safety at sea.
“All Australian lighthouses are now automated and continue to play an important role in shipping safety,” Mr Peachey said.
Mr Peachey added that the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse is one of the most visited AMSA operated lighthouses and in peak times, more than 120 people can tour the lighthouse each day.
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend was initiated in 1998 by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group in Scotland to promote public awareness of lighthouses and other aids to navigation and their need for preservation and restoration, as well as encouraging amateur radio operators to practice their craft. The Association of Lighthouse Keepers joined the event a few years later to add an open day element to the event.