Lighthouses of Tasmania - Goose Island Lighthouse Whitemark, Tasmania, Australia
By Team MavEtJu on 15-Oct-16. Waypoint GA8525

Lighthouses of Tasmania - Goose Island Lighthouse

This lighthouse was built in 1846, the tower is of masonry rubble constructed by convicts. Conditions for the early keepers were very poor, occupying the workman's huts that had quickly become dilapidated. Eventually a new headkeeper's cottage was constructed and the old headkeeper's cottage renovated for the assistant keepers. Discipline was an ongoing problem and in 1852 one of the assistants is believed to have swum out to a ship sheltering by the island and had the captain take him to Adelaide.

Height: 30 meters
Elevation: 36 meters
Pattern: Flashing (2) in 10 seconds
Range: 18 nautical miles / 33.3 km

Photo: AMSA

Fun fact: The station was isolated and Sister M. Xavier Hickman describes the excitement of receiving the fortnightly mail in the 1920's:

"On this Island we received a mail once a fortnight. It was brought from Launceston by the S.S. Kiltibanks on her fortnightly trip to Flinders Island. She usually arrived off Goose at 2a.m. or thereabouts, rather an unusual time for the postman to call!

The man on duty in the tower always kept a good look out and at the first sign of the boat he signalled the houses. At once everyone tumbled out of bed. The first action was to place a lighted lamp in the glassed-in verandah of each house so that the boat would know we were on the way and also to act as landmarks for the rowers. For the Kiltibanks did not stop at the Island, it merely slowed down as it passed on the eastern side. Having hurriedly dressed, all hands rushed to the boatshed to help launch the boat. Two hurricane lamps were lighted, one to go in the rowing boat so that the Kiltibanks would not run them down, and the other to be placed at the end of the jetty as an additional landmark for the rowers.

Then the two Keepers not on duty would row out to the Kiltibanks, which would slow down as she drew near them, exchange mail bags, and continue on her way to Whitemark. The rowers would return to the Island, where everyone would once more help with the boat, then gather on our verandah to sort the mail. You can imagine the excitement! I remember now special thrills that came out of those mail bags on various occasions - an autographed photograph and a letter from Galli-Curci; the first postal note I ever received from an Editor for a published article."

For more information, see Goose Island Lighthouse at lighthouses.org.au.

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