Cape St George Lighthouse Ruin, Jervis Bay, NSW
Posted by: 
Tuena
S 35° 09.110 E 150° 45.695
56H E 296101 N 6107825
Cape St George Lighthouse near the entrance to Jervis Bay lies in ruin having been used as target practice by the Royal Australian Navy.
Waymark Code: WMDKAF
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 01/24/2012
Views: 8
Cape St George Lighthouse is of historical importance particularly because of the bungling surrounding its construction. The relevant authority, the Pilots Board, was not consulted about its construction. Had they been it is almost certain the lighthouse would have been constructed at Point Perpendicular, where a replacement was built in 1889.
The company contracted to build the lighthouse appears to have ignored the map defining the location, which in itself was inaccurate. Expediency came into play & the contractor built the lighthouse near to the quarry where the sandstone was cut. A lack of planning & supervision meant that the light was barely visible from either the north or the south & this may have contributed to a number of ship wrecks off Jervis Bay.
The light operated between 1860 & 1889 at which time it was abandoned. The lantern was removed and later used in the Crookhaven Heads Lighthouse which is currently undergoing renovation having lain in ruin for many years.
It was considered that having two towers close to one another would be a hazard in daylight. As a result, the Cape St George Tower was used for target practice by the Australian Navy between 1917 to 1922 and reduced to rubble.
One can appreciate the accuracy of the Naval gunners as the base of the tower not facing the ocean is relatively intact.
Coastal Lighthouse: Lighthouse
Range Lights: Front Range Light
LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE VISIT: Not listed
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