Lighthouse records in Tasmania – Fact sheet 122

Elevation drawing of South Bruny Lighthouse Light Tower, 1850

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 rest of 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 Hobart Office 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, as well as 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

Title or description of record	Date range	Series number
Drawings of Commonwealth buildings – Tasmania	1903–32	P1715
Correspondence files of Tasmanian lighthouse administration	1922–61	P1129
Correspondence files of Tasmanian lighthouse administration	1916–62	P1130
Files and papers relating to particular Tasmanian lighthouses	1919–62	P1131

Examples of record holdings of individual Tasmanian lighthouses

Title or description of record	Date range	Series number
Cape Bruny – Lightstation log books	1882–1996	P783
Cape Bruny – Visitors books	1957–96	P1191
Cape Bruny – monthly record of fog	1919–62	P1117
Cape Bruny – monthly returns of weather	1918–62	P1119
Cape Bruny – journal of weather reports	1886–1917	P1190
Cape Bruny – meteorological observations	1875–86	P1192
Cape Sorell – Lightstation log books	1917–71	P782
Cape Sorell – Visitors books	1918–71	P775
Cape Sorell – monthly record of fog	1921–62	P1151
Cape Sorell – monthly returns of weather	1919–62	P1152
Cape Wickham – Lightstation journals	1861–1918	P2426
Currie Harbour – monthly record of fog	1919–41	P1145
Currie Harbour – lighstation journals and monthly returns	1880–1988	P1147
Deal Island – Lightstation log books	1920–92	P1113
Deal Island – monthly returns of weather	1919–62	P1171
Deal Island – monthly record of fog	1920–62	P1173
Eddystone Point – Lightstation log book	1889–1993	P784
Eddystone Point – Visitors books	1932–93	P777
Eddystone Point – monthly returns of weather	1919–62	P1140
Eddystone Point – monthly record of fog	1920–62	P1141
Goose Island – journal of weather reports	1915–17	P1166
Goose Island – monthly returns of weather	1926–30	P1167
Low Head – Lightstation log books	1937–94	P786
Low Head – stores book for the lighthouse	1896–1926	P1155
Low Head – monthly returns of weather	1919–62	P1158
Low Head – monthly record of fog	1920–62	P1160
Maatsuyker Island – Lightstation log books	1893–1999	P781
Maatsuyker Island – monthly record of fog	1919–62	P1124
Maatsuyker Island – monthly returns of weather	1919–62	P1125
Maatsuyker Island – Weather reports	1935–38	P1194
Swan Island – Lightstation log books	1867–1986	P778
Swan Island – Visitors books	1919–86	P1588
Swan Island – monthly record of fog	1921–62	P1135
Swan Island – monthly returns of weather	1919–62	P1136
Tasman Island – Lightstation log books	1906–76	P779
Tasman Island – monthly returns of weather	1931–62	P1163
Tasman Island – monthly record of fog	1928–58	P1164
Tasman Island – Weather reports	1935–38	P1194

Further information

Tasmanian lighthouses

Records for lighthouses located at Cape Forestier, Circular Head, Iron Pot Islet (Derwent Light), Emu Bay, Hunter Island, Mersey Bluff, Table Cape and Three Hummock Island, are held by other offices of the National Archives. Keyword searches on RecordSearch using the name of the lighthouse will identify records of interest.

Other lighthouses in Australia

Records held by the Archives Office of Tasmania

Many relevant records for the period before Federation are held by the Archives Office of Tasmania, part of the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office.