page_title: Double Island Point Light
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Double Island Point Light / History
caption_attribution_description: English: School at Double Island Point, ca 1900. This school was at Double Island Point from 1884 to 1922.
context_page_description: Double Island Point Light is an active lighthouse located at the summit of Double Island Point, a coastal headland within the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park. It is located at the southern end of Wide Bay, 70 kilometres north of Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia.
  Though the location was indicated for a lighthouse in 1864, it was only constructed in 1884, by W. P. Clark, who constructed other Queensland lighthouses. Upgrades to the kerosene fueled light and the lens occurred in 1923 and 1925. Major reconstruction occurred in 1933 when the light was converted to 110 V electricity, significantly increasing its luminosity, and new cottages replaced the originals. In 1980 the light was converted to 240 V and finally, solar conversion took place in 1991. Double Island Point Light became automatic the following year.
  The lighthouse is typical for Queensland, made of timber frame clad with galvanized iron plates, painted white with a red dome. It is surmounted by an original Chance Brothers lantern with a modern VRB-25 self-contained rotating beacon mounted inside. It is surrounded by several auxiliary structures.
context_section_description: The colony of Queensland was formed in 1859. In 1862, the Queensland government appointed the first Portmaster, Commander George Poynter Heath. However, it was only in 1864 that two committees were appointed to deal with the issue of coastal lighthouses. One of the locations indicated by these committees as a possible suitable site was Double Island Point. However, it was to take almost two decades until the Queensland Government took action upon this recommendation.
  In 1881 or 1882 Heath made a report to the Parliament stating the need for the lighthouse. In 1883 he made a visit to the island and realised that the originally planned location, halfway up the point, would result in a light that would not be visible to the north. He advised that the lighthouse will be constructed at the summit of the point, with a 3rd Order light, a more powerful light than originally planned, and advise which was accepted. Plans were made by the Queensland Colonial Architect's Office, and at the end of June 1883 tenders were called, for the construction of the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper cottages, for both Double Island Point Light and c. The contract for both lightstations, for the cost of £6900, was awarded to W. P. Clark, who already constructed Queensland's first lighthouse since Queensland's formation, Bustard Head Light (in 1868), and who was also awarded the contract for Low Isles Light in 1877 and for Cape Cleveland Light and Dent Island Light in 1878.
  The lighthouse was first exhibited on 11 September 1884, the eighteenth to be constructed by the Queensland Government. The original lamp was an oil wick burner with an intensity of 13,000 cd. It was fixed, with revolving panels. Three lighthouse keeper cottages were also constructed, originally located near the lighthouse. A schoolhouse was also established at the point at the same time, which was active until 1922.
  In 1923, the light was converted to a 55 millimetres (2.2 in) incandescent gas mantle fueled by vapourised kerosene, with an intensity of 100,000 cd. A further upgrade in 1925  replaced the lens with a third order 500 millimetres (20 in) focal length revolving apparatus floating in a mercury bath. In 1933 the light was converted to 110 V electricity, the lamp having an intensity of 750,000 cd. The original cottages were demolished and two modern cottages were constructed, further down the hill than the original ones, at the old location of the schoolhouse, at the crest of the ridge. A new watch hut was also constructed at that time.
  In 1961 the radio was moved from the lighthouse area to a radio hut which was constructed near the cottages. This radio hut now serves as a weather hut. In 1980 a new powerhouse was constructed, holding two diesel engines, and bulk fuel tanks were installed. At that time the light was converted to 240 V AC and the light source was a 120 V 1000 W tungsten halogen lamp with an intensity of 1,000,000 cd, visible for 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi).
  The light was finally converted to a solar powered VRB-25 on 9 October 1991, at which point the third order optic apparatus and the lamp were removed. This reduced the strength of the light considerably, to 48,430 cd, resulting in a reduction of the range of visibility to 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi). The station was fully automated, and staff removed, in 1992.
caption: The school established at the point in 1884
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "860", "Image YResolution": "860", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0", "Image DateTime": "2004:10:05 16:43:54", "Image ExifOffset": "164", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "302", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3046", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "500", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "343"}