| Historical notes: | Aboriginal Sydney:
When Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet landed, first in Botany Bay and then in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), in January 1788, he was met by people who had lived on this land for many thousands of years. At least 1,500 people lived in the area between Botany Bay and Broken Bay and the intermediate coast (Attenbrow, n.d.)
There were two main languages spoken in the Sydney region - Darug and Tharawal. The Darug language had two main dialects - one spoken along the coast and the other in the hinterland (west of present-day Parramatta). Tharawal was spoken to the south of Botany Bay and as far west as the Georges River and possibly Camden (ibid, n.d.)
People belonged to small groups (territorial clans) through which they were spiritually related to specific tracts of land - these clans included the Gadigal, Wanngal, Gamaragal, Wallumedegal and Boromedegal. The suffix 'gal' denotes 'people of', thus, for example, the Gadigal were the people of Gadi (also spelled Cadigal and Cadi respectively) (ibid, n.d.).
The 'district of Gadi' was reported to have stretched from South Head west to 'the cove adjoining this settlement' (Darling Harbour) - an area that would have included Centennial, Moore and Queens Parks. Watkin Tench referred to the Gadigal as 'those who reside in the bay of Cadi'. The 'bay of Cadi' is probably Kutti, the Aboriginal place name recorded for present-day Watsons Bay, and the present name of a small beach in the bay (ibid, n.d.).
The Centennial Parklands Conservation Management Plan contains the following report that provides in depth detail of the pre-colonial history of the lands that are present day Centennial Parklands, which is where the text on this page comes from: Pre-colonial Aboriginal land and resource use in Centennial, Moore and Queens Parks - assessment of historical and archaeological evidence for Centennial Parklands Conservation Management Plan (ibid, n.d.).
Macquarie Lighthouse site - Aboriginal Heritage
In February 2006 the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust commissioned the Australian Museum Business Services to carry out an Archaeological Survey of the Macquarie Lightstation. This was undertaken in conjunction with the La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council
.
The survey found no Aboriginal sites or objects on the surface and that the previous disturbance to the site made it highly unlikely that any Aboriginal material was pre-Greenway wall is likely to have come from an Aboriginal midden and appears to contain at least one possible artefact within it. It recommends that no further survey work is necessary or warranted. However, due to the shell midden material it recommends recording the wall as an Aboriginal site. It also recommends that any work to the east of the Greenway wall that will result in the exposure of the sandstone platforms will require monitoring and detailed recording conducted by a qualified archaeologist.
European Occupation
The Macquarie Lightstation Precinct and surrounding lands were dedicated to navigational and communication activities from the very early years of the colony and remarkably continue to be associated with these uses today.
Early Settler history of South Head (pre- 1816)
As early as 1788, South Head was being used as a look-out point for boats entering and leaving the harbour. Prior to 1816 South Head was the site for a manned flagstaff, a fire beacon, a navigation column and a signal station.
In 1790, Captain Arthur Phillip directed a party of seamen from the (HMS) Sirius to erect a flagstaff 'on a high bluff...at the entrance to the harbour...' in order to communicate the arrival of ships into the harbour back to the colony at Sydney Cove. The first signal from here displayed in February that year. It is believed the present Signal Station is on the site of the 1790 flagstaff.
Later that year, Phillip commanded that a column be erected near the flagstaff '... of a height sufficient to be seen from some distance at sea, and the stonemasons were sent down to quarry stone upon the spot for the building...' The column was erected on a raised base measuring 16 foot square and on a base 4 foot square. The signalling activities at South Head were now two-fold, communicating news about arrival of ships to the colony at Sydney Cove via semaphore, and informing ships of the location of the entrance to Port Jackson. By the end of 1790 the site was known as the 'Look-out Post' and there were huts and vegetable gardens adjacent to the flagstaff for the 11 men stationed there (Melocco, 2013).
The column was destroyed in September 1792 by a major storm. It was reportedly re-erected using bricks from Bennelong's disused hut on Bennelong Point as there were not enough bricks available from the kilns in the Brickfields.
During this period, access to the site was via a walking track which was approximately in the same location as the present Old South Head Road. In 1803 surgeon John Harris offered to construct a road 15 feet wide for 100 pounds. By 1811 the eight miles of road and 11 bridges of Old South Head Road was completed. It terminated at the Signal Station with a walking track leading down to Watsons Bay (Melocco, 2013).
A fishery was established at South Head in 1792, exclusively for the use of the sick people at Sydney. It was under the direction of one Barton, who had been a pilot, and who, in addition to that duty, was instructed to board all ships entering the harbour and pilot them into safe anchorage (Herman, 1960, 4).
The first recorded light navigation in Australia occurred here on 16 January 1793. Convict transport ship 'Bellona' was sighted at dusk and lookout post staff lit a fire to guide it throughout the night. Between 1792 and June 1807 the Lookout Post signalled the arrival of the first ships to come to Port Jackson from the United States of America, Spain, France and Russia (WHHS, n.d.).
In March 1809 Thomas Reiby was appointed as pilot. He was succeeded by Robert Watson, after whom Watson's Bay is named. Watson had been quartermaster of the Sirius from 1786-90, became a signalman at South Head in 1791. In 1811 he was appointed pilot and harbour-master, and in 1814 he resigned his pilot's position. When the Macquarie Lighthouse was built he took charge of it in 1816. Watson died on 1/11/1819 and was buried in the old Devonshire Street Cemetery (Herman, 1960, 4).
The first Macquarie Lighthouse (1816 - 1878)
Following the end of the Napoleonic war in 1815, many more convicts were sent to New South Wales, with over 1000 arriving in 1818. The impending arrival of ships transporting convicts and an increase in the volume of shipping led to the commencement of a series of building projects in Sydney (ibid, 2011, 5)..
Governor Macquarie gave instructions that a lighthouse, the first in Australia, be constructed at the entrance to Port Jackson on South Head. Convict Francis Greenway was appointed as architect and Captain John Gill as supervisor. Numerous people criticised the appropriateness of the site because of its distance 2 miles from the actual opening into the harbour. Greenway suggested North Head as an appropriate location, but this was dismissed by Governor Macquarie as being too remote (ibid, 2011, 5).
On 11/7/1816 Governor Macquarie and party went to South Head, where he laid the foundation stone 'of a most useful building intended for the several purposes of a Signal and Lighthouse and a Guard House and Barrack for a small military detachment'. It was named by Macquarie the Macquarie Tower. On 16/12/1816 he returrned to South Head with a party including his wife and Captain Gill, principal engineer of the colony. The stone work of the tower was complete. They had breakfast at South Head, and Macquarie presented Greenway... with his freedom (Herman, 1960, 15).
In 1816 a manned flagstaff, fire beacon, navigation column and a signal station were erected (Melocco, 2013).
The lighthouse sat in an area compounded by four stone retaining walls with originally two corner lodges intended for the 'keepers of the Signals'. The construction of the tower was probably one of the most difficult constructions undertaken in the colony to date. The colony had a shortage of quality building materials and skilled labour which despite the skills of Greenway and Gill, proved to make the construction very difficult. In addition, Greenway and Gill often disagreed on best methods of construction leading to design and engineering compromises (ibid, 2011, 5)..
The lighthouse tower was essentially completed by December 1817 when Macquarie wrote to Lord Bathurst, the British Secretary of State to inform him of the 'Very Elegant and Strong Stone Tower and Light House' erected at South Head. At this time the lantern was yet to be completed as they were waiting for the arrival of the plate glass from England. Bathurst responded favourably to Macquarie despite the fact that work on the lighthouse had commenced without obtaining official approval from Britain On the 16th December 1817, the Governor and Mrs Macquarie and a party of their friends went to inspect the tower. On the same day, before breakfast, Francis Greenway received his emancipation papers at the Lighthouse (ibid, 2011, 5).
The lighthouse was operational permanently from 1818 and was under the supervision of the former quartermaster for the first Fleet and retired harbourmaster, Robert Watson (ibid, 2011, 5).
The 'Macquarie Light' (was) the first lighthouse site in Australia and (is) still operating (Spindler, 2011, 5) serving as a controlling point for shipping entering and leaving Port Jackson (Sheedy, 1976), a landmark for ships to communicate their arrival to the settlement (Melocco, 2013).
Shortcomings in the construction of the tower became evident early on. By 1822 it was deemed necessary to carry out emergency structural repairs as some stones had fallen from the arches during that year. This work included the reconstruction of the supporting arches, the repointing of stones, and the introduction of a large iron hoop to support the base of the tower. Further repairs were undertaken in 1830 and a verandah was added on the western face of the building. In 1836 new quarters were built in the south-west corner of the site for the Head Keeper. In 1866 further structural repairs were required to the lighthouse including the addition of more iron straps around the tower (ibid, 2011, 5; Herman, 1960, 16).
The tower was now distinctly dilapidated and in 1873 it was agreed that the light cast by the Macquarie Tower was not sufficiently strong for its important location, and that new, more powerful lighting technology should be used. However, the lantern on the Macquarie Tower was too small to accommodate the new apparatus (ibid, 2011, 5).
In 1857 the Dunbar was wrecked on South Head, and the Catherine Adams on North Head. These tragedies highlighted the need to more clearly define the entry to the harbour. The wreck in particular showed deficiencies of the Macquarie Light, as it appeared that the Gap may have been mistaken for the harbour entry. As a consequence the Hornby light was constructed at the extreme northerly end of South Head in 1858 (ibid, 2011, 5). The name honoured the Governor (Denison)'s wife's maiden name, being the daughter of Admiral Hornby (Herman, 1960, 16).
With the increase in shipping it became necessary to improve the light. At a converence in 1873 it was decided to increase the power of the light. It seems nothing was done until 8/8/1879. The Colonial Architect advised that it would not be desirable or practicable to place a modern lantern in the old tower and recommended a new lighthouse be erected (Herman, 1960, 16). In 1878, approval was given to replace the Greenway tower with a new tower. By the 1870s the tower's sandstone was crumbling and being held together by iron bands. Its now ancient lantern was also due to be replaced by a new gas-generated electrical light (the first in an Australian lighthouse). A new, taller lighthouse, similar in design to Greenway's, was built behind (west of) the first, after which the old one was demolished. The new one came into service in 1883 and could be seen 40km out to sea (ibid, 2011, 5).
The Barnet Lighthouse (1878 - 1937)
James Barnet was responsible for the project and his design was clearly based on Greenway's original, a mark of the respect held for Greenway's work. Although the building is seen as a replica of Greenway's design, Barnet incorporated other changes in the appearance of the building, particularly in the proportions of the elements, and, notably, in the larger domes and ventilators over the side wings and the projecting gallery of bluestone at the top of the tower.
James Johnstone Barnet (1827-1904) was made acting Colonial Architect in 1862 and appointed Colonial Architect from 1865-90. He was born in Scotland and studied in London under Charles Richardson, RIBA and William Dyce, Professor of Fine Arts at King's College, London. He was strongly influenced by Charles Robert Cockerell, leading classical theorist at the time and by the fine arts, particularly works of painters Claude Lorrain and JRM Turner. He arrived in Sydney in 1854 and worked as a self-employed builder. He served as Edmund Blacket's clerk of works on the foundations of the Randwick (Destitute Childrens') Asylum. Blacket then appointed Barnet as clerk-of-works on the Great Hall at Sydney University. By 1859 he was appointed second clerk of works at the Colonial Architect's Office and in 1861 was Acting Colonial Architect. Thus began a long career. He dominated public architecture in NSW, as the longest-serving Colonial Architect in Australian history. Until he resigned in 1890 his office undertook some 12,000 works, Barnet himself designing almost 1000. They included those edifices so vital to promoting communication, the law and safe sea arrivals in colonial Australia. Altogether there were 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police buildings, 110 lockups and 20 lighthouses, including the present Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, which replaced the earlier one designed by Francis Greenway. Barnet's vision for Sydney is most clearly seen in the Customs House at Circular Quay, the General Post Office in Martin Place and the Lands Department and Colonial Secretary's Office in Bridge Street. There he applied the classicism he had absorbed in London, with a theatricality which came from his knowledge of art (Le Sueur, 2016, 6).
On 1/3/1880 Sir Henry Parkes, in the presence of the Governor and a large party of visitors, aid the foundation stone of the present lighthouse. The new work was handed over to the government on 20/4/1883 and the light brought into operation on 1/6/1883. It was originally intended to use gas in the apparatus, and a preliminary trial on 17/8/1882 proved satisfactory. On 24/8/1882 the first trial with an electric light, gas and oil were all tried. Two gas engines were used to drive the dynamos which generated the current when the apparatus was put into operation on 1/6/1883. Two engines were kept in reserve in case of a breakdown. Two semi-detached cottages in stone were built for the assistant light-keepers near the head keeper's quarters. Quarters for the engineer were erected later. The stone used in building the tower and the cottages was obtained from a quarry between the building and the ocean. The light itself was constructed by Chance Brothers of Birmingham, England (Herman, 1960, 16-17).
The light had a range of twenty five nautical miles. The technology used in this lighthouse (it was one of the first electrically powered lighthouses in the world) was such that a higher level of expertise in the maintenance was required and hence a larger number of staff. This led to the construction in 1881 of two semidetached cottages for the assistants to the Head Keeper. In 1885 new quarters were built for the Engineer and his assistant.
The Head Keeper's Quarters were modified in 1887 after complaints about the standard
of accommodation. The western wing of this building was added in 1899. Despite having once been thought to be the 'most efficient light in the world', by 1909 it was deemed to be obsolete, unable to cope with the heavy winter fogs. In 1912, following a call to standardise all lighthouses, the electric light at the Macquarie Lighthouse was replaced with a kerosene system. The new fuel was cheaper to run and required just two men to operate. On 1st July 1915 all the ocean lighthouses were transferred to the control of the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service.
World War II to Present (1939 - 2006)
The fortifications at South Head were upgraded during World War II. At the lightstation, this included the construction of an observation post east of the lighthouse and a nearby shaft and tunnel, the location of which has since been obscured.
After the war there was a rapid development in other navigational systems, and the lighthouse became simply one of a number of aids which enabled the mariner to determine his exact position. The importance of manned lighthouses such as Macquarie also decreased with the advent of integrated air systems for surveillance, search and rescue.
By 1965 the existing garage to the east of the Head Keeper's Quarters had been constructed and in 1970 the 1885 Barnet-designed Engineer and Assistant's Quarters were demolished to make way for the existing row of four townhouses. These originally accommodated the Workshop Supervisor and the Mechanics (Maritime Aids). The road access on the southern side of the site was also constructed during this time.
The station was fully automated in 1976 but the residences remained occupied by staff. In 1980 the Commonwealth Department of Construction carried out a series of works to return the Head Keeper's Quarters to its 1899 form in anticipation of it opening as a museum; however the decision to set up a museum was never taken.
In 1989 all staff associated with the Commonwealth Department of Shipping and Transport left the site. The Commonwealth leased the Assistant Keepers' Quarters in 1991 and the Head Keeper's Quarters in 1994 as private residences, both for 125 years. The townhouses are now leased as residences on a short-term basis and the lighthouse is leased to AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority).
The light station itself is now managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and its grounds are open to the public, with the tower often open to guided tours (Spindler, 2011, 5).
A 2011 advertisement of the Assistant Keeper's Quarters/Keeper's Cottage noted: (for lease): large chef's kitchen, butler's kitchen, dining deck in courtyard and barbeque, gymnasium, spa, home office, multiple gas fireplaces, good storage, security systems, 3 car garage (Wentworth Courier advertisement, 8/9/2011).
In 2018 the Sydney Harbour Trust celebrated the Bicentennary of the Macquarie Lightstation - holding a free community access day on 1/12/2018 (Wentworth Courier, 28/11/18). A milestone 200th anniversary ceremony was held with Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price, NSW Heritage Minister and local MP Gabrielle Upton MP, Woollahra Mayor Peter Cavanagh and Councillors (WMC, 12/12/18).
In 2019 the Assistant Keeper's Quarters (aka 'Keeper's Cottage'), a four-bedroom residence has been placed on the real estate market, through private treaty (CBRE Residential, 8/2019, 36). |