Bart Bear's Blog

Here it is, Montague Island lighthouse. Construction of this lighthouse started in1878 and was completed in 1881. It was built by James Barnet who built 15 other lighthouses in NSW. The tower is built from stone quarried on the island. The light has been automatic since 1986 and the original lantern and lens is now in the Narooma Visitors' Centre. Power for the light comes from arrays of solar panels near the tower. To get onto the island you have to climb a ladder up to the jetty you can see in the top photo. The crane is there to unload supplies. It used to be the way that lighthouse keepers got their stuff, but now it is used by National Parks and Wildlife rangers based on the island. The whole island is a wildlife sanctuary and access has to be arranged with NPWS. The track from the jetty up to the lighthouse is steep in places and a bit slippery after rain (anyhow, Dad says it was). The rangers are having a big push to rid the island of weeds. It is complicated because Little Penguins nest in the weedy areas, so the penguins in a small area have to be caught and removed, then the weeds sprayed and burned to allow native vegetation to take over. It is slow but is successful and the penguin numbers are increasing. The surprising thing about the lighthouse is that the tower is not as high as it looks from the sea. It is actually built on the top of a big rock. Well worth a visit if you are in Narooma on a day when the bar is safe and one of the boats are operating.

Labels: lighthouse, New South Wales, south coast