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The beautiful Table Cape lighthouse is located north of Winifred on the Tasmania’s north coast.
The lighthouse itself stands on a flat-topped promontory, which ends in a sheer drop into the Bass Strait.
Table Cape was one of the first areas settled by Europeans in Tasmania’s northwest and was surrounded by dense forest. A large timber mill was established in the 1850’s and the nearby port of Wynyard flourished.
In 1879 after several incidents in the area, Table Cape was chosen for the site of a lighthouse. Bricks, stone and timber were hauled from the Wynyard to the site by bullock teams to build the lighthouse, which was first lit August 1, 1888. It housed a 2nd order lens built by Chance Brothers giving a beam 19 nautical miles out to sea.
Originally powered by oil, the lighthouse was converted to automatic acetylene in 1920 and in 1923 the keepers were withdrawn.
This story appeared in the February 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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