100 years of the management of lighthouses by the Commonwealth of Australia

Cape Byron Lighthouse

This set of 4 maxicards commemorates 100 years of the management of lighthouses by the Commonwealth of Australia. It was on 1 July 1915 that the Commonwealth accepted responsibility for all Australian landfall and coastal lights from the state governments. Today the Australian Maritime Safety Authority is responsible for 388 sites around the 59,735 kilometres of coastline.

The four lighthouses on the maxicards are:

(1) Cape Byron lighthouse (1901) is situated on the mainland’s most easterly point and is the most visited Australian lighthouse. Cape Byron is in the Australian state of New South Wales.



Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse



(2) Cape Leeuwin lighthouse (1896) is located on Australia’s most south-west point and is Western Austrlia’s tallest traditional lighthouse.

North Reef Lighthouse

(3) North Reef lighthouse (1878) was built on a reef in the Capricorn Group off the Queensland coast.  Over the years, sand has accumulated around the structure, forming a small island.



Tasman Island Lighthouse

(4) Australia’s most dramatic lighthouse location is Tasman Island, Tasmania. The cast-iron lighthouse (1906) was prefabricated in England and hauled piece-by-piece up the precipitous 250-metre-high cliffs before being assembled.