Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributors. Used under Creative Commons licence.
About Dent Island Light
Dent Island Light is an active lighthouse on Dent Island, a small island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, part of the Whitsunday Group of the Whitsunday Islands. Located on the southwest tip of the island, the light guides ships navigating the Whitsunday Passage, between Whitsunday Island and the islands to the west, and marks the Dent Island Passage.
From its inception, the lighthouse was closely connected to Cape Cleveland Light. Both lighthouses were recommended, approved, tendered and finally, in December 1879, constructed together. The light had two upgrades in the 1920s, replacing both the oil lamp and fourth-order lens with an incandescent gas mantle and a new lens. In 1983, it was converted to solar power; and was demanned in 1987.
The lighthouse is a typical for Queensland, made of a timber frame clad with galvanized iron plates. It is topped by a Chance Brothers lantern room, and painted white with a red dome. A modern ML-300 lantern replaced the original lens.
Visiting Dent Island Light
- Location: 20.3693°S, 148.9289°E — view on Google Maps
- Nearest town: Hamilton Island, Queensland (3 km north-east) — see accommodation in Hamilton Island
- Access: Conditions vary by site. Some lighthouses sit on public headlands with car parks and interpretive signage; others are on islands or in active marine reserves requiring a boat or permit. Check with the relevant state parks service or heritage body for current access, opening times and fees before visiting.
Accommodation links are affiliate links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Learn more.
Further reading
Read more on Wikipedia → — used under CC BY-SA 4.0. This article includes contributions from the Wikipedia community.