Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00060:front:0:p11
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00060
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 28808–31772

Island requires further consultation and research. New information will be included in later versions of this plan.

Early European history

In 1798, the passage of water separating Tasmania from the mainland was charted by British explorer George Bass, and British navigator and cartographer Matthew Flinders. Named 'Bass Strait', this passage was traversed by countless ships that had previously been forced to journey around the south coast of Tasmania.[12]
Little is known about post-European settlement activity on Goose Island following the colonial inhabitation of the Bass Strait. New information will be included in later versions of this plan.
  3.5 Planning a lighthouse
Why Goose Island?

In 1841, suggestions were made to improve shipping safety in the Bass Strait vicinity. Sir John Franklin, Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), recommended to Sir George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales, that two lighthouses be constructed within Banks Strait – a passage between the Furneaux Group Islands and Tasmania's north-eastern coastline. The Banks Strait was regularly navigated by vessels travelling from Melbourne (VIC), Hobart and Launceston (TAS). Of these proposed lightstation sites was Goose Island, chosen for its position along the Banks Strait shipping route.[13]

Construction
Construction of Goose Island Lighthouse commenced in January 1841. Supervised by ex-convict Charles Watson, construction was carried out by convict labour. The workmen were housed in basic huts onsite while food, water and fuel were shipped to the island sporadically.[14]
Construction of the tower was completed by March 1843. However, the W Wilkins Co lantern ordered from England failed to arrive when expected. Whilst waiting for its arrival, Watson and his team moved onto construction of Swan Island Lighthouse, also located in Bass Strait, which was completed in October 1845. Eventually, the lantern destined for Goose Island arrived the same month Swan Island was completed. The lantern was successfully installed and the Goose Island light was first exhibited on 1 February 1846.[15]
Figure 11. Drawings and floor plans of five Tasmanian lighthouses built in 1840s. From left to right: Low Head, South Bruny, Deal Island, Swan Island, and Goose Island (1848). Courtesy of the National Archives of Australia. (© Commonwealth of Australia, National Archives of Australia)[16]

Equipment when built

Following completion, Goose Island Lighthouse stood as a 21.5 metre circular granite rubble tower. It housed a W Wilkins Co single-lamp, catadioptric lens - one of the earliest uses of this technology in Australia. The light was fixed and the upper and lower sections of the lens sytems were silvered mirrors. The tower was originally painted red and white, red for the upper half and white for the lower half, which was the typical colour scheme for early Tasmanian lighthouses.[17]

3.6 Lightkeeping on Goose Island
Initially, the light was