Brief Guide 25: records relating to lighthouses

The first lighthouse in Tasmania was erected on Iron Pot Island at the mouth of the Derwent River, in 1832 although the matter had been under consideration as early as 1825 when a special Pilotage and Harbour dues Committee recommended the erection of a lighthouse on the “Pot” – the expense to be defrayed by a small tax on traders.

From 1824 to 1858 the Port Officer had responsibility for the lighthouses and references to and information on lighthouses during this time will be found in the various indexes to records of the Colonial Secretary’s Officeunder the headings of Lighthouses, Port Officer and the names of the individual lights.

In 1858 the Hobart Marine Board was constituted by an Act of Parliament, 21 Vict, No 16, and Section 77 of the Act vested the control, management and maintenance of the lighthouses in the newly formed Marine Board.

The administration of lighthouses was formally transferred from the States to the Commonwealth Government in 1915 and many records relating to lighthouses are held in the National Archives of Australia.

Listed below are a few of the more significant records relating to Lighthouses. A complete listing of all records held can be found using the search facility in Tasmanian Archives Online.

General records

AB830	Minutes of meetings of the Marine Board.	1858 – 1976
MB2/6	Correspondence about lighthouses. General correspondence about lighthouses kept separately from the correspondence and returns sent in from lighthouse keepers.	Jan 1858 – Dec 1904
MB2/23	Letterbooks on lighthouse matters.	Nov 1884 – July 1899, 1911
MB2/103	Tenders, contracts, plans and associated papers relating to repairs and additions to wharves, lighthouses and buildings.	1860 - 1941
PWD41	Correspondence and associated papers relating to lighthouses and leading lights including transfer of lighthouses to the Commonwealth.	1899 – 1948
AB821	Correspondence about the transfer of the lighthouse service from the State to the Commonwealth.	1913 – 1915

Logbooks, reports and returns from lighthouses

MB2/5	Correspondence with and returns and reports from lighthouse keepers. Includes Bruny Island, Cape Wickham (King Island), Derwent (Iron Pot), Emu Bay, Goose Island, Kents Group, Low Head, Maatsuyker, Macquarie, Mersey, Swan Island, Table Cape, and Tasman, .	1846 – Dec 1934
MB2/19	Lighthouse inspection reports received.	Mar 1870 – Dec 1874, Nov 1877 – Nov 1886
MB2/20	Lighthouse returns of men employed.	1879 – Mar 1893
AE476	Record of men employed in the Lighthouse Service	Sep 1876 – Mar 1925
AE478	Record of men employed in the Lighthouse Service arranged by Station	Jan 1858 – Nov 1902
AB760	Logbook returns sent in from lighthouse keepers.. Includes Bruny Island, Cape Wickham and Currie harbour (King Island), Derwent (Iron Pot), Emu Bay, Goose Island, Kents Group, Low Head, Oak Point and Swan Island.	Jan 1852 – Dec 1886
MB2/52	Logbooks of lighthouse keepers. Includes Cape Bruny, Goose Island, Deal Island (Kent Group) and Swan Island.	Jan 1857 – Dec 1875, Jan 1880 – Dec 1886, Jan 1903 – Dec 1905
MB3/27	Logbook kept at Macquarie Outer lighthouse.	Oct 1892 – Apr 1894, June 1896 – Dec 1913
MB3/28	Logbook kept at Macquarie Inner Lighthouse.	Jan 1894 – Dec 1908, Mar 1910 – Feb 1912
NS1470	Journal of Henry W Kendrick, Lighthouse keeper, Table Cape.	Jun – Oct 1895

Plans, Photographs and Films

The plan index, available in the Archives Office search room has references to plans of lighthouses that were transferred from the former Public Works Department for example Bruny Lighthouse (PWD266/1196 – 1197) Cape Sorell (PWD266/2434) and Eddystone Point (PWD266/2450).

The photographic index in the searchroom contains references to photographs of lighthouses which are held by the Archives Office.

AC672/111 is a film produced by the National Film Board about the life of the lighthouse keeper and his family on Maatsyker Island in about 1950.