Lighthouse
The lighthouse is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and has been unmanned since 1931. It was originally constructed in 1846 with the use of convict labour. On 31 March 1857 the station was raided by pirates. From 1985 to 1990 a wind generator was used as a power source for the light, today the electricity is generated by solar panels. The tower was built as a 30 metres tall rubblestone construction employing a Fresnel lens, which today is on display in Hobart at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania. The focal plane of the lightsource is located 36 m above sea level, the light's characteristic is a double flash every ten seconds.
The island contains historic relics from the time when the lighthouse was manned, such as the remains of a wooden tramway used to supply the lighthouse, as well as the graves of light keepers, or members of their families, who died by drowning.
Read more about this topic: Goose Island (Tasmania)
Famous quotes containing the word lighthouse:
“It is the cry of a thousand sentinels, the echo from a thousand labyrinths; it is the lighthouse which cannot be hidden.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)
“This lighthouse was the cynosure of all eyes.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)