Low Isles Light, Maritime lighthouse in Port Douglas, Australia.
Low Isles Light stands on Low Island, a coral cay about 13 km northeast of Port Douglas, Queensland, on the western edge of the main shipping channel into the harbour. The tower rests on a concrete base and is a timber frame clad with galvanized iron, painted white, with porthole windows. It is the fourth Queensland lighthouse of this type and the first to use portholes.
Construction finished in 1878 as the first lighthouse built in Far North Queensland to guide vessels through dangerous waters. Its establishment marked a turning point for maritime safety in this treacherous region.
The island's compact circular layout, forced by its small size, groups the tower with keeper residences rebuilt in the 1960s; one now serves as a research station. The station is owned and managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and the site can be visited, though the tower itself is closed.
The site can be visited, but the tower itself is closed. Access is by boat from Port Douglas, about 13 km southwest; the island lies on the western edge of the main shipping channel into the harbour. The station is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
The facility switched to solar power in 1993, making lighthouse keepers unnecessary after they had staffed the station for more than a century. This marked a significant shift toward automating navigation aids in Australia.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,361 contributors worldwide.