Newcastle has it's very own castle turret on top of The Hill in the form of the Leading Light Tower, or Beacon Tower. It was one of two built to assist captains in bringing their ships safely into the port.
The coast around Newcastle is littered with hundreds of shipwrecks and the pair of towers built in 1865/1866 helped to increase the safety of vessels entering the Hunter River.
This one was built in 1865. The other one was down on Tyrrell St towards to beach so a ship would come around Nobbys head, line up the two towers and once they got them into a line they knew that they were clear of the reef. However, it was designed in Sydney, perhaps not designed by local maritime engineers and there were problems with its effectiveness.
After the loss of a number of ships on the notorious Oyster Bank, the lights became known by mariners as the 'misleading lights'. Navigators argued that the towers were too close together so the margin of error was around 200 feet. In a big sea, that 200 feet could be crucial. In 1917 the government put in new towers in Church Street and the harbour foreshore where they remain to this day but they've been moved around and are now modern structures.
Yes, although not a navigator myself I can see that the triangulation must have been critical as it affects distance as well as direction. Nice picture, and even better with the text.
@quietpurplehaze Thanks Hazel, We have had such clear skies lately and the weather is still so warm for this time of year. Can't believe it will be winter in a couple of weeks.
@happypat No you can't climb up it to get a view, it is a bit fragile these days. Mind you the view just from the street here across Newcastle is quite impressive. This is the highest point of Newcastle and the suburb is called The Hill, for obvious reasons.
