Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributors. Used under Creative Commons licence.
About Cape Schanck Lighthouse
The Cape Schanck Lighthouse is an active lighthouse and associated museum, located at Cape Schanck, at the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, in Victoria, Australia. Built in 1859 as the second coastal lighthouse in Victoria, the 21-metre-tall (69 ft) tower was built from limestone.
The light's focal plane is situated 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level, the light characteristic is the Morse code letter "N", a long signal of 10.8 seconds followed by a flash. Depending on the bearing of the light, the colours are either white (south to west sector) or red (east sector). Due to its powerful lantern of one million candela and a first order Fresnel lens, which was installed in 1915, the light has a range of 26 nautical miles (48 km).
Operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the lighthouse is the first lighthouse tower with stone stairs built in Australia.
The lighthouse was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 12 November 1998 in recognition of its historical, architectural, scientific, social and archaeological importance; and was also added to non-statutory lists by the Victorian branch of the National Trust on 23 November 1978 and the now defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 October 1980.
Visiting Cape Schanck Lighthouse
- Location: 38.4927°S, 144.8865°E — view on Google Maps
- Nearest town: Sorrento, Victoria (21 km north-west) — see accommodation in Sorrento
- 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.
Further reading
Read more on Wikipedia → — used under CC BY-SA 4.0. This article includes contributions from the Wikipedia community.