Darling Harbour Lighthouse

The Cape Bowling Green lighthouse is located at the Australian National Maritime Museum, at Darling Harbour. It was originally built in 1874 at Cape Bowling Green, a low sandy spit 70 kilometres south of Townsville, Queensland. It was one of 22 identical lighthouses built on the North Queensland coast to guide vessels around the Great Barrier Reef, where many ships had run aground. The frame of this 22 metre high lighthouse was built from local hardwood and clad with iron plates from Britain. It was staffed by a keeper and three assistants and moved twice, in 1878 and 1908, when threatened by the sea. In 1913, an incandescent mantle was installed, fuelled by vapourised kerosene. It was destaffed in 1920 when an automatic acetylene light was installed, operated by a sun valve. It was replaced by a modern tower in 1987 and then transported to the north wharf of the maritime museum in Sydney in 1994.