Cape Capricorn Light, Heritage lighthouse on Curtis Island, Queensland, Australia.
Cape Capricorn Light is a concrete lighthouse on Curtis Island in Queensland with a square base and chamfered corners. The structure carries a self-contained beacon on its gallery platform that projects signals across the water.
The original lighthouse at Cape Capricorn began operations in 1875 and was later rebuilt in 1937 and again in 1964. This succession shows how maritime navigation technology evolved across more than a century.
Cape Capricorn was chosen as a pilot station site in 1861, before Queensland's first lighthouse here was lit in 1875. The station was supplied from Rockhampton by steamboat, with goods winched 91 metres up the hill on a tramway. From 1964 to 1978 the lightstation was the base radio station for North Reef, Lady Elliot Island, Pine Islet and Dent Island lights.
The lighthouse is accessible from Curtis Island, which can be reached on foot or by water transport. Visitors should prepare for changing weather conditions and potentially limited landing options.
From 1964 until 1978 the station served as the base radio station for a network of lighthouses including North Reef Light, Lady Elliot Island Light, Pine Islet Light and Dent Island Light; the role then passed to Bustard Head Light on 18 December 1978.
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