LIGHTHOUSES AND NAVIGATIONAL INFORMATION

land of Point Nepean intervening, not when near the Heads; bring the Point Lonsdale lighthouse to the westward of N.W. before opening out the high light-house to the west of the obelisk.

Flinders Point Reef.—A detached reef lies about a mile in a S.W. by W. direction from Flinders Point, with deep water just to the southward of it.

Point Lonsdale.—Point Lonsdale forms the western side of the entrance to Port Phillip, and bears from Flinders Point E. ½ N. 6 miles, and W. 2 miles from Point Nepean; it is neither so high nor well marked in outline as the latter, but can now easily be distinguished by a light and look-out house, telegraph station, and tidal flagstaff, near its south-east extremity. The light and look-out house is a wooden building, 40 feet high, painted in alternate horizontal bands of red and black, each ten feet deep, commencing with red at the top.

Point Nepean.—Point Nepean terminates the peninsula which slopes gradually W.N.W. from Arthur’s Seat; it forms the eastern side of the entrance, is higher than Point Lonsdale, and consists of a series of sandy hummocks slightly covered with low bushes. A small rocky islet, upon which there is a cone-shaped red beacon, lies W. two and a-half cables’ length from Nepean Point.

Shortland’s Bluff.—Shortland’s Bluff is situated inside the Heads, about two and a quarter miles N.E. ½ E. from Point Lonsdale; it is well marked by two lighthouses, an obelisk, electric telegraph station, and flagstaff, the lighthouses are 1056 feet apart, and bear from each other S. 23 W. and N. 33 E. The Obelisk stands a little to the eastward of the low lighthouse, it is 50 feet high, colored lower half white upper half red, and is the leading mark to clear the Corsair and Lightning rocks.

High lighthouse.—The high lighthouse exhibits a fixed bright white light, visible from seaward to vessels in the offing from about E. by N. to N., but vessels close in with the Lonsdale land will not see the light except from N.E. by E. to N. The light is visible within the Heads from S.W. by W. to about N.E. by E., i.e., from the Swan Spit lighthouse round southerly to Lonsdale Bight.

The tower is built of bluestone, and remains its natural color. The centre of the light is one hundred and thirty feet above high-water level, and visible at a distance of seventeen miles, allowing ten feet for the height of the eye, and at lesser distances according to the state of the atmosphere.

Low light.—Fixed red and white. The low lighthouse tower is painted white.

The centre of the light is ninety feet above high-water level.

The white light is visible at a distance of fourteen miles, and the red light at a distance of ten miles, and at lesser distances according to the state of the atmosphere.

The low light shows white from about N.E. by E. to N.E., and from N.N.E. to W. by N.; and red from about N.E. to N.N.E.

These bearings, if well be observed, show the low light to be white from Point Lonsdale to a safe berth clear of the reef; thence red to a safe berth clear of the Corsair Rock; thence white to a line passing from the lighthouse through the south channel to the southward of the Pope’s-eye and black buoys, and to the northward of the white buoys, so that vessels caught after dark with light winds or adverse tide in the south channel will be aided in their passage through by a bearing of the light.

The change of color from red to white is intended to warn vessels approaching Points Lonsdale and Nepean Reefs to haul to the eastward or westward, as the case may be, to get into the stream of red light which will lead them clear of both reefs.

The two lights in one is the safest course for vessels of heavy draught entering between the Heads.

Swan Spit Light.—The Swan Spit lighthouse is built on piles on the S.W. end of the spit, in fifteen feet at low water, two hundred and fifty fathoms off shore.

There are two small sand knolls outside of the lighthouse, with not more than twelve feet of water over them, bearing respectively from the lighthouse E.N.E. and S.E. by E., distant the former 65, the latter 50 fathoms.

Vessels must not approach the lighthouse nearer than seventy fathoms, outside of which distance there is a clear channel of one-third of a mile, with three, four, and five fathoms water.

This light shows white from about E.N.E. to N.E. E., and from N.E. ½ N. to N. by W. ½ W., and red from N.E. ½ E. to N.E. ½ N., and N. by W. ½ W. to S. ½ W.

These bearings show white from the Queenscliffe jetty round to a safe berth clear of No. 1 black buoy; thence red to a safe berth clear of the Royal George white perch buoy; thence white to the chequered buoy on Nicholson’s Knoll; thence red across the Symonds and Loelia’s Channels, and up the West and Cole’s Channels.

Temporary lighthouse on Point Lonsdale.—Fixed red and green.—A temporary fixed harbor light is exhibited on Point Lonsdale, to guide vessels clear of the Lightning and Lonsdale Rocks. This light is colored green to seaward and red towards the harbor and Point Nepean, and illuminates an arc of about fifty degrees of the horizon, and is visible, the green light at a distance of about four miles, the red light about seven miles, within the following bearings:—

• Green light from about N.W. ½ W. to N.W. by N.
• Red light from about W. ½ N. to N.W. ½ W.

These bearings are magnetic and are given from the ship, not from the lights.

PILOT WATERS.

Pilots.—The pilot vessels cruise from three to twelve miles outside the Heads, borrowing on either shore according to the weather.

Pilot Flag.—Pilot vessels carry by day a red and white flag in horizontal stripes, white uppermost, at the mainmast head, at between sunset and sunrise exhibit a bright light at the foremast head, and show in the waist a flash-light every quarter of an hour.

Signal for a pilot.—Vessels steering for the port are bound to show the usual flag for a pilot when within four leagues of the entrance, and if the pilot vessel be in sight, they must wait a reasonable time to allow a pilot to board. Vessels which miss the pilot schooner will be boarded by a pilot from a whaleboat when they are inside Point Lonsdale; but all ships should, if possible, take pilots outside the Heads. All vessels trading between this and any other Australian port are exempt from pilotage, provided the master holds a certificate from the Victoria Pilot Board that he is competent to pilot his vessel. Such vessels, on arriving within four leagues of the entrance, must have a large white flag hoisted at the mainmast head, to be kept flying until past Swan Point, under a heavy penalty, which is rigorously enforced, in order to prevent the pilot’s time being unnecessarily taken up running after ships which do not require their services.

Tidal signals.—The following tidal signals are exhibited daily at Point Lonsdale flagstaff between sunrise and sunset, and the signal-keeper has instructions, if he sees ships approaching the Heads, and running into danger, to warn them by means of Marryatt’s signals. Strangers therefore should watch these signals.

Flood-tide signals.—A blue flag will be hoisted half-mast high when the tide begins to flow in the entrance.