20. LIGHTHOUSES |
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Moving away from the Keep towards the sea, we come to perhaps the most striking feature of the Fort – the Black Lighthouse. This structure is impressive from bottom to top. A further surprise is that there is a graceful white lighthouse to the south of the Fort. What is going on here? Queenscliff's famous Black (High) Lighthouse, is one of only a handful in the world that are unpainted black stone. It is the only black lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere. The lighthouse was built to replace an earlier sandstone 1843 lighthouse that was under-powered and had structurally deteriorated. The new light was built in 1862 along with the White (Low) Lighthouse and so had many similarities in design. The original entrance was 3.5 metres above ground level reflecting the English lighthouses that were built on rocks at sea level. The entrance was later rebuilt at ground level. Fort Queenscliff was built around the light after fears that ships carrying gold from the gold rush may be attacked by privateers. The White Lighthouse at Queenscliff when aligned with the Black Lighthouse guides ships through the Rip and into Port Phillip Bay. http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/vic/ |
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