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History

Built from local limestone in 1900, the tower is painted white with a gold lantern dome.

The Bathurst Lighthouse was built as a result of shipwrecks culminating in the the “City of York” disaster in 1899.

The light was one of four erected between 1910 and 1912 leading up to the Commonwealth takeover of coastal lights in 1915.

The tower is on the north east cape of Rottnest Island. It is the subsidiary light to the Main Rottnest Island Lighthouse in the centre of the island. This meant that vessels, travelling to and from the Port of Fremantle, could safely navigate around the reefs using triangulation.

The light was erected close the the original Pilot Station which was known to have been established by 1866.

The lamphouse and light mechanism was the one originally intended for use as the lower light at Cape Leeuwin but never used.

The original fixed acetylene open flame light source was replaced in 1920 by an acetylene flasher and the light was then demanned.

In 1986 the light was converted to electric operation.

The keepers cottage was sold to the Rottnest Island Board and is at present occupied by Board employees.


Bathurst Lighthouse is one of two lighthouses on Rottnest Island, the other being Wadjemup Lighthouse. It is located on Bathurst Point, in the north east of the island, and was activated in 1900. The lighthouse was erected in response to a series of shipping disasters in the area, which included the loss of the City of Yorkin 1899.


The lightsource and lantern house were originally to be used at Cape Leeuwin but were then built in on Rottnest Island. In 1920 the original acetylene flame was replaced by a flasher, which made the keeper superfluous. An electric light was installed in 1986.

Bathurst Lighthouse serves as the rear light in the pair of Kingston Reef's leading lights, which guide ships departing from Fremantle through the reefs near the island. Its light is characterised by a group of four flashes that occurs every sixteen seconds.

Location