Fact sheet 122 – Lighthouse records in Tasmania

South Bruny Lighthouse Light Tower, 1850
NAA: P1715, 438

The first lighthouse in Tasmania was erected on Iron Pot Islet at the mouth of the Derwent River in 1832 to guide ships to the port of Hobart. Construction of lights around the Tasmanian coast and nearby islands to mark hazards and assist navigation continued through the nineteenth century. The administration of coastal lighthouses became a Commonwealth responsibility with Federation in 1901, but the transfer of control did not occur until 1915 when the Lighthouses Act 1911 came into effect.

Records held

The Archives' office in Hobart holds records relating to the operation of manned Tasmanian lighthouses dating from the 1850s to the 1960s. These include records of individual lighthouses, such as logbooks, weather reports and visitors books, and more general records, including correspondence files of lighthouse and coastal navigation administration in Tasmania. Details of major record holdings are listed below. A more complete list of holdings is available from the Hobart office.

General records relating to Tasmanian lighthouses

Drawings of Commonwealth buildings – Tasmania	1903–32	P1715
Correspondence files of Tasmanian lighthouse administration	1918–62	P1129
Correspondence files of Tasmanian lighthouse administration	1918–62	P1130
Files and papers relating to particular Tasmanian lighthouses	1919–62	P1131

Examples of record holdings of individual Tasmanian lighthouses

Cape Bruny – Lightstation log books	1882–1965	P783
Cape Bruny – Visitors books	1957–67	P1191
Cape Bruny – Weather reports	1875–1962	P1117
Cape Bruny – Weather reports	1875–1962	P1119
Cape Bruny – Weather reports	1875–1962	P1190
Cape Bruny – Weather reports	1875–1962	P1192
Cape Sorell – Lightstation log books	1917–65	P782
Cape Sorell – Visitors books	1918–32	P775
Cape Sorell – Weather reports	1919–62	P1151
Cape Sorell – Weather reports	1919–62	P1152
Cape Wickham – Lightstation log books	1861–1918	P2426
Currie Harbour – Weather reports	1919–41	P1145
Currie Harbour – Weather reports	1919–41	P1147
Deal Island – Lightstation log books	1944–ongoing	P1113
Deal Island – Weather reports	1919–30	P1171
Deal Island – Weather reports	1919–30	P1173
Eddystone Point – Lightstation log book	1889–1967	P784
Eddystone Point – Visitors books	1932–54	P777
Eddystone Point – Weather reports	1919–62	P1140
Eddystone Point – Weather reports	1919–62	P1141
Goose Island – Weather reports	1915–30	P1166
Goose Island – Weather reports	1915–30	P1167
Low Head – Lightstation log books	1937–70	P786
Low Head – Weather reports	1886–1962	P1155
Low Head – Weather reports	1886–1962	P1158
Low Head – Weather reports	1886–1962	P1160
Maatsuyker Island – Lightstation log books	1893–1964	P781
Maatsuyker Island – Weather reports	1909–62	P1124
Maatsuyker Island – Weather reports	1909–62	P1125
Maatsuyker Island – Weather reports	1909–62	P1194
Swan Island – Lightstation log books	1909–62	P778
Swan Island – Visitors books	1919–86	P1588
Swan Island – Weather reports	1919–62	P1135
Swan Island – Weather reports	1919–62	P1136
Tasman Island – Lightstation log books	1906–67	P779
Tasman Island – Weather reports	1928–62	P1163
Tasman Island – Weather reports	1928–62	P1164
Tasman Island – Weather reports	1928–62	P1194

For more information

Tasmanian Lighthouses

The Archives also holds records about other Tasmanian lighthouses, including those located at Cape Forestier, Circular Head, Iron Pot Islet (Derwent Light), Emu Bay, Hunter Island, Mersey Bluff, Table Cape and Three Hummock Island, though some of these may be held by other offices.

You can obtain more information about the record series listed above (and the items within the series) fromRecordSearch, the Archives database. Follow the links in the series lists to go directly to information on that series. You can also use RecordSearch to find out about the agencies that created the records and to locate more records on your subject. You might also explore PhotoSearch to find out if there are photos pertaining to your subject.

RecordSearch and PhotoSearch are available online or in all Archives reading rooms. Reference staff are available in the reading rooms to help you, or email ref@naa.gov.au.

Other lighthouses in Australia

For information on records held by hte National Archives relating to lighthouses in Queensland see Fact Sheet 233 – Lighthouse records held in Brisbane

Records held by the Archives Office of Tasmania

Many relevant records for the period before Federation are held by the Archives Office of Tasmania. Contact details are available on Fact Sheet 2 – Addresses of other archival institutions.

Comments or other feedback can be sent to archives@naa.gov.au

updated November 2005