North Reef Light, Maritime navigation structure at North Reef, Queensland, Australia.
North Reef Light is a lighthouse on a coral reef near Gladstone featuring a hollow concrete base and a 24-meter timber tower with iron cladding. The beacon sends two white flashes every fifteen seconds, visible from about 30 kilometers away, and has operated on solar power since 1987.
Construction began in 1876 and was completed in 1878, following recommendations from a parliamentary committee made in 1864. Building this lighthouse was part of a broader effort to improve maritime safety infrastructure along the Queensland coast during the nineteenth century.
This lighthouse served as a vital guide for ships navigating Queensland's coast and remains a symbol of maritime heritage for the region. The structure reflects how seafaring communities relied on such landmarks to safely traverse these waters.
This lighthouse sits on a coral reef and is best viewed from the water, so taking a boat trip around the area is the ideal way to see it. Tides and weather conditions affect visibility, so timing your visit on a clear day will give you the best views.
What makes this lighthouse remarkable is that it was built on a shifting sand patch within a coral reef that eventually transformed into a vegetated sandy island. This unusual location presented special construction and maintenance challenges in this dynamic marine setting.
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