Kiama Lighthouse
After Robertson Basin opened in 1878, Kiama Harbour became busier than ever and the need for a lighthouse became apparent. In 1884, the State Government contributed £2000 towards the construction of a lighthouse.
From 1878-1886, the Agricultural Shows were held on Blowhole Point, but with the imminent construction of the new lighthouse, the Show had to find a new site, which was when 11 acres of land were purchased from Moses King at Long Brush in 1886.
The site was selected for the new lighthouse in October 1885 and tenders were called for the construction of the lighthouse and a keeper's cottage. The winning tender was by Messrs, Anderson and Taylor. The design of the lighthouse was attributed to the Chief Engineer of the Marine Board, Edward Moriarty. This is the only known example of a lighthouse not being designed by the Colonial Architect's Office during James Barnet's tenure. It is also the only lighthouse attributed to Moriarty.
In 1886, a lantern was placed in the lighthouse, which was manufactured by Chance Brothers in the UK. The light was a green fixed light of the fourth order and had 15 lenses. It was visible for 9 miles and had an intensity of 600 C.P. The lighthouse was completed in November 1886 and the commencement of service was 1st January 1887.
The lantern was upgraded to the town coal gas supply in 1908, and with this a range of 15 miles. This upgrade also meant that the light could run independently so the tower only needed to be watched on a part-time basis.
In 1912, a major assessment of all Australian lightstations was carried out. The Kiama lighthouse was considered to be in good condition, unwatched, and the keeper's cottage was vacant. It was recommended that the intensity increase to 1500 C.P. and be operated by acetylene gas. The lighthouse was handed over to the Commonwealth by the State in 1915.
In 1920, the lighthouse was again upgraded to automatic acetylene gas with group flashing, and the light was completely de-manned. The keeper's cottage was never lived in by the lighthouse keeper, as the Pilot who lived in the Pilot's Cottage further down the hill (now the Pilot's Cottage Museum) had always watched the lighthouse. The Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage was turned into a kiosk around the 1930s, and the owners lived in the rear of the building. In the 1970s, the building was renovated to house an aquarium of exotic fish, which many people remember. The kiosk building was demolished in the late 1980s when the new kiosk building was built further down the hill behind the Pilot's Cottage.
In 1969, the light was converted to 240V mains electricity with a 120V battery bank for backup. Today the intensity is 28,000 C.P., and it uses a tungsten halogen lamp with the original Chance Brothers lens. The lighthouse was listed with the National Trust of Australia in 1978.
Lighthouse Keeper's cottage was used a kiosk from the 1930s. In 1970, alterations were made and an aquarium of exotic fish was housed there
Panorama Kiosk and lighthouse c.1940s
