Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00078:reg:2023:p12
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00078
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2023 (pt 12/13)
Character Range: 31541–34341

Lighthouse stood as a 27m, white-painted, granite rubble tower fitted with a catadioptric lens system. The original light was that of a 12' 11/2" diameter lantern by Wilkins and Co. with fixed silvered upper and lower mirrors.
The Weekly Register of Politics, Facts and General Literature documented the tower in its finished state:
    The revolving light comprises one concerntrated lamp, with three hundred and fifty-two stationary mirrors, of which two hundred and twenty are placed in the form of a dome, above the concentrated lamp, and one hundred mirrors are fixed in a diagonal line from the concerntrated lamp, and twenty-eight below the concentrated lamp, facing each other. The revolving apparatus consists of an iron column, revolving rollers which work round, with arms and uprights, &c., which supports eight refractors or glass lenses of two feet six inches square each – made of a number of circular pieces of polished glass – the refractors work in the open space between the upper and lower mirrors. The clock-work is a splendid piece of mechanism, which will be lighted up on the 1st of November next. The light-house is under the superintendence of Mr. Charles Watson.[18]
The use of a single lamp meant that only one gallon of oil a night was required to power the lighthouse.
Entry into the lantern room originally required keepers to scale eight ladders fixed to the internal walls of the tower before a freestanding spiral staircase was installed in 1893.[19]
  3.6 Lightkeeping on Swan Island
The lighthouse was originally presided over by a superintendant and a small number of convict assistants. The first superintendant, W Johnston, was provided with a cottage onsite whilst his assistants were forced to reside in crude shelters. These shelters were considered so inadequate that the assistants would set up camp in the base of the lighthouse tower itself. Eventually in 1850, another spacious four-bedroom cottage was constructed onsite for the superintendant, and his assistants moved into the original cottage.[20]
Figure 13. Swan Island Lighthouse and cottage, 1917. Image courtesy of the National Archives of Australia. NAA: A6247, B4/3 (© Commonwealth of Australia, National Archives of Australia)

Life on the island was relatively isolated throughout the mid to late 19th century and not without incident. The venomous tiger snake prevalent on Swan Island led to regular hunts around the island with light keepers often boasting of their kill count. In November 1933, the lightkeeper's 15 year old son, Roy Patterson, was fatally shot in the chest by his friend Lawrence Williams while out hunting tiger snakes. Williams had accidentally fired his gun after tripping and falling over a tussock. Patterson died at the scene and his body was taken to the mainland