Wyborn Reef Light

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Wyborn Reef Light is a lighthouse in the active service of the Wyborn Reef, formerly known as Y Reef known, about 16 km southeast of Albany Iceland, east of the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. The 1938 -built lighthouse marks the entrance to the Albany Passage. The lighthouse was established in 1991 and 1995 equipped with contemporary technology. The building is a skeleton of stainless steel. Between his quest a dwelling made ​​of fiberglass is installed in the machinery of the lighthouse is located.

History

The construction of an automated lighthouse at Y Reef was approved by the Commonwealth Lighthouse Advisory Committee on 18 August 1937. This decision leads to some confusion because it was already on the similarly named Wye Reef, 120 km further south a lighthouse. Finally, in late 1938, the building was made ​​by the Public Works Department, said working conditions were difficult. The 14 construction workers were housed in tents that were built on a 15 m long and equally wide wooden deck, only 135 cm above the water, in an infested tiger sharks marine area without protection from the sun and the tropical heat. The beacon was taken into operation on 10 December of that year. From the beginning he was unmanned and automatically. First, he flashed white.

The 1957 published Admiralty List of Lights and Fog signal lists the plant as unmanned white light with a red sector, with an identification of four flashes every 20 seconds ( Fl. (4 ) WR 20s), which is consistent with the current identifier of the lighthouse. The intensity was reported to be 3000 cd for the white and 1300 cd for the red light. The lighthouse was under the responsibility of the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.

In 1991 the lighthouse was converted to solar power in 1995 brought to a newer state of the art. The remains of the pillars of a former lighthouse are still located directly next to the present building.

Construction and optics

The building is a stainless steel skeleton construction, built into tower, which is mounted on concrete pillars. He's from the ground up to its platform a height of 17.5 m. On the platform sits a gallery and with the white-painted lantern room, the total height of the building nearly 21 meters. A dwelling made ​​of fiberglass, which houses the machinery of the lighthouse is a few feet raised above the ground within the tower frame. The optics are made ​​of a chance Brothers 375 mm Fresnel lens.

The current identification are four flashes at intervals of twenty seconds; they are white with a red sector between 133 ° and 143 ° ( Fl. (4 ) WR 20s). The white flashes have a range of 11 nautical miles ( 20 km), the red sector is the scope 8 NM (15 km). The light source is a halogen lamp driven by solar energy at a voltage of 12 volts and a power of 35 watts. The intensity of 3300 cd for the white light and 660 cd for the red light.

The plant is operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The island is accessible only by water, but both the site and the tower for the public not to visit.