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Smaller Fresnel lenses continued to be produced and installed until the 1970s when plastic lanterns, still utilising Fresnel's technology, were favoured instead. Acetylene remained in use until it was finally phased out in the 1990s.

In the current day, Australian lighthouses are lit and extinguished automatically using mains power, diesel generators, and solar-voltaic systems.

Figure 10. Dalén's system - sunvalve, mixer, and flasher (Source: AMSA)

  3.2 The Commonwealth Lighthouse Service

When the Australian colonies federated in 1901, they decided that the new Commonwealth government would be responsible for coastal lighthouses—that is, major lights used by vessels travelling from port to port—but not the minor lights used for navigation within harbours and rivers. There was a delay before this new arrangement came into effect. Existing lights continued to be operated by the states.
Since 1915, various Commonwealth departments have managed lighthouses. AMSA, established under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority Act 1990 (Cth), is now responsible for operating Commonwealth lighthouses and other aids to navigation, along with its other functions.

  3.3 Tasmanian Lighthouse Service Administration
The following table outlines a chronology of Goose Island Lighthouse's management following federal acquisition.

Time Period  Administration
1915-1927:   Lighthouse District No. 3 (Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania), Hobart Headquarters.

             Deputy Director of Lighthouses and Navigation, Tasmania.
1927-1963:
             Department of Shipping and Transport, Regional Controller, Tasmania.
1963-1972:
             Department of Transport [III], Regional Controller, Tasmania.
1972-1982:
             Department of Transport and Construction. Victoria-Tasmania Region, Transport Division (Tasmania).
1982-1983:
             Department of Transport [IV] Victoria-Tasmania Region, Hobart Office.

1983-1985:   Department of Transport [IV], Tasmanian Region.

1985-1987:   Department of Transport and Communications, Tasmanian Region.

1987-1990:   Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

1991-

  3.4 Goose Island: A history
Aboriginal history
Surveys of the Outer Furneaux Islands were carried out in 1989-1990 and a total of 64 prehistoric Aboriginal sites were recorded, all containing stone artefacts. Sites recorded on Swan Island were identified as being open sites consisting of stone artefacts of quartz, quartzite and exotic. Seven unretouched flake and flaked pieces, and three retouched implements were identified within Swan Island's artefact scatters and are estimated to date from the late Pleistocene landbridge phase.[11] These investigations demonstrated that the eastern Bassian region was occupied during the prehistoric period.

Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania (Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, TAS) detailed that four Aboriginal heritage sites are recorded within the Aboriginal Heritage Register, and these sites are located 1-2 kilometres north-west of Goose Island Lighthouse.
The full extent of past and present Aboriginal cultural associations with Goose 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