Lighthouse at Point Lowly |
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| Title : | Lighthouse at Point Lowly |
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| Source : | PRG 280/1/44/134, Searcy Collection | ||
| Date of creation : | 1911 | ||
| Format : | Photograph | ||
| Contributor : | State Library catalogue | ||
| Catalogue record | |||
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| Copyright : | Reproduction rights are owned by State Library of South Australia. This image may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires permission from the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form. |
| Description : |
The lighthouse at Point Lowly, near Whyalla; the South Australian government vessel SS Governor Musgrave can be seen in the background. Point Lowly lighthouse was built in 1882 and its light first exhibited in February 1883. It was built to guide shipping safely to Port Augusta and Port Pirie, as the town and Port of Whyalla did not exist at this time. The building of the lighthouse even in the protected waters of northern Spencer Gulf was not without hazard: the ketch Parara which was bringing building supplies and water to the workers was wrecked at its moorings. The Governor Musgrave was built in 1874 for the South Australian government. She was intended to service the lighthouses and other navigational aids on the South Australian coast. Following service in World War I she was returned to this duty until management of lighthouses was taken over by the Commonwealth government in 1915, when she was transferred to Western Australia for the same duties. Point Lowly lighthouse was originally 15 metres tall but its height was increased by a further 7.6 metres in 1909. In 1993 it was turned off by the Australian Maritime Safety Authoritiy which considered the light no longer necessary. The lighthouse was purchased by Whyalla City Council in 1995 and the light turned back on. In June 2009 Council was advised by the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure that the light was no longer listed in official sources for navigational purposes and consequently caused safety issues. It has accordingly been turned off. |
| Subjects | |
| Related names : | Searcy, Arthur, 1852-1935 Governor Musgrave (ship) |
| Coverage year : | 1911 |
| Period : | 1884-1913 |
| Place : | Point Lowly |
| Region : | Eyre Peninsula and Far West Coast |
| Further reading : | Parsons, Ronald. Lighthouses of South Australia Magill, S. Aust.: R. Parsons, c1985 Ibbotson, John. Lighthouses of Australia: images from the end of an era Surrey Hills, Vic.: Australian Lighthouse Traders, 2001 It saved lives for 100 years. Now Lowly's lighthouse is deemed unsafe. The Advertiser 24 June 2009 p. 31 |
| Internet links : | Lighthouses of Australia Inc.; Lighthouses of South Australia. Select Eyre Peninsula and Point Lowly light station |
| Exhibitions and events : | State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions. Wooden Walls and Iron Sides August 2004- |
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