Cape Moreton
By the end of 1855 the growing importance of the settlement at Brisbane resulted in greatly increased shipping activity.
The wreck of the "Venue and the "Phoebe Dunbar" highlighted the need to provide navigational aids at the port entrance. On February 18, 1856, tenders were called for the erection of a lighthouse and keepers dwellings at Cape Moreton. The successful tender for £4,265 included costs such as "employment for bullock driver for six months at £4".
The tower of the lighthouse was built from the local siliceous sandstone which was the immediate site of the light and later from a hill about 500, meters to the North West.
Contrary to popular belief, convict labor was not used in the construction but 35 trusted civil prisoners assisted the tradesman. The iron rings at the base of the tower (which you can still see) were for the pulleys which lifted the construction material, and the lower windows were barred to prevent pilfering.
Meanwhile the light mechanism, consisting of a revolving lantern, the hand-wound mechanism to drive it and 21 oil lamps with reflectors had been built in London for the sum of £1419 and shipped to the colony. This light mechanism was the only catoptric (reflector) lighthouse system installed in Queensland, all other being dioptric (prismic).
The light mechanism arrived at Moreton Island on September 21 1856 along with 45 cases of machinery and a light smith, Thomas Hook.
On the night of Saturday, February 14, 1857, the Moreton Lighthouse beamed out for the first time from the lonely tower on the Cape. It has done so every peacetime night since.
The Moreton Island lighthouse was the first off the Queensland coast.
Externally, the 23 metre high lighthouse has altered little in more than a century. Within its 60 centimetre thick sandstone walls, one significant change has been made - the original oil lamps and the clockwork mechanism which turned them on has been replaced by electric arcs and motors.
The lighthouse is not open to the public and camping is not permitted on the lighthouse reserve which is closed to traffic.
Rocky Cape Moreton is the only part of the island which is not pure sand. A bonus for visitors to the Cape are the breathtaking views west to the Glass house mountains, north and east over the Pacific and south along Ocean Beach to North Stradbroke Island.
Cape Moreton now hosts a free visitor information centre which is run by National Parks and Wildlife. It has a host of historical information on display and is open daily.