Eastern Channel Pile Light, Navigational lighthouse in Sydney Harbour, Australia.
The Eastern Channel Pile Light is a pile lighthouse on Sydney Harbour off Laings Point, Vaucluse, marking the eastern end of the Sow and Pigs Reef. It stands on four thick piles: a concrete base ringed by a skirt of vertical white timber slats, a six-sided white cabin with a louvered vent and a brass-coloured lamp behind glass, and a white domed roof with a ball finial. A black solar panel sits on the roof edge, and white railings encircle the gallery and base platform.
This lighthouse began operations in 1924 to guide vessels safely through Sow and Pigs Reef as part of a pair with the Western Channel Pile Light. The lights were essential for navigation into Port Jackson.
The nickname East Wedding Cake comes from its tiered profile: a white timber slat skirt, a six-sided cabin and a domed roof. It marks the eastern end of the Sow and Pigs Reef, a hazard that gave the reef its name. The light is best seen from the water, as it is closed to the public.
The light stands off Laings Point at Vaucluse, marking the eastern end of the Sow and Pigs Reef. It is reachable only by boat and closed to the public, so it is seen from the water or from the shore nearby. Four thick piles carry the white platform above the harbour.
The light was originally gas powered, probably by a carbide lamp, before being converted to solar power; a black solar panel now sits on the roof edge. It is operated by the Port Authority of New South Wales and is closed to the public, so it can only be seen from a boat.
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