Under the Southern Skies - A Rich History of Astronomy in the Colony of New South Wales

Under our clear southern skies, there is a rich history of observing the stars in the Colony of New South Wales: 

Dawes Point Observatory - 1788

At the time of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788, astronomical observations were vital to navigation and meteorology. 

No time was lost in giving Lieutenant William Dawes the task of setting up the Colony's first observatory. He did this In April 1788, on the site of what is today Dawes Point, under the southern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The point was named Point Maskelyne after the Astronomer Royal who had supplied Dawes with books and instruments to carry out his work.

Site of William Dawes' Observatory at Dawes Point, Sydney
[photo taken September 2012]

Extract from signage at Dawes Point
showing Dawes' correspondence during the
establishment of the Observatory.
[photo taken September 2012]

Dawes lived on site at the observatory, and it was here that he befriended the Cadigal woman, Patyegarang, and recorded the local aboriginal language.

 After Dawes left Australia in 1791 the Observatory fell into disuse.

Parramatta Observatory - 1822

It was not until the appointment of Thomas Makdougall Brisbane as Governor New South Wales in November 1821, that Sydney was to get its next observatory.

Brisbane was a keen astronomer and privately built an observatory in Parramatta Park, next to Government House.*  It was completed in March 1822. He employed two astronomers, Carl Rumker and James Dunlop who did some very active work.

Obelisk in Parramatta Park marking the founding
  of Governor Brisbane's Observatory on 2 May 1822.
[photo taken February 2013]

Wording on obelisk
[photo taken February 2013]

Signage giving information on the Observatory
[photo taken February 2013]

Signage showing plan and elevation of the Observatory c 1822
[photo taken February 2013]

When Governor Brisbane left the Colony in December 1825, he sold his instruments and books to the Government which then took over the control of the Observatory.

Carl Rumker was appointed as New South Wales' first Government Astronomer (1827-1830). James Dunlop succeeded him in 1831, holding the position until 1846. By this time activity had declined and the Observatory was in a state of disrepair.

The building was demolished in 1847 except for two stones which still stand in Parramatta Park. The instruments were put into storage for use in a future facility.

Remains of the original transit circle telescope stones used inside the observatory domes.
.Parramatta Park - February 2013
[ Conservation in progress]

Sydney Observatory 1858

Plans were then made for a time ball observatory in Sydney. However, Governor General Sir William Denison who arrived in New South Wales in January 1855, saw an observatory as an important addition to the Colony. He commissioned  the Colonial Architect, Alexander Dawson to draw up plans for a completely new observatory at 'Observatory Hill' at Millers Point.

Completed in 1858, the Sydney Observatory is an impressive sandstone building in Italianate style. At that time, it comprised a four-storey tower for the time ball, a dome to house an equatorial telescope, a room with long narrow windows for a transit telescope, an office and a residence for the astronomer. A western wing was added in 1877 with office and library space and a second dome for another telescope**.

Facade of Sydney Observatory
[Photo taken June 2011]

View of Observatory looking south, showing time ball tower.
[Photo taken June 2011]

Telescopic dome, Sydney Observatory
[Photo taken June 2011]

Initially the main function of the  Sydney Observatory was time-keeping with the installation of the time ball. This is still raised today to the top of its post and dropped exactly at 1.00pm.

With the appointment of Henry Chamberlain Russell as Government Astronomer (1870-1905), the Sydney Observatory gained international recognition. Russell was a competent administrator and scientist. Initially he made use of some of the instruments from Parramatta but was successful in gaining funding for further instrumentation including a new Schroeder telescope to be housed in an enlarged Muntz metal dome. He introduced weather maps in daily newspapers in 1877.

His most significant project was the commitment of the Observatory to theAstrographic Catalogue, a project of the 1887 Congress of International Astronomers  to photomap the night skies of the Southern Hemisphere. 

With the brief to map the stars of the Sydney sky, this project would take up the  resources of the Observatory for some eighty years till the 1960's and subsequent publication in 1971.

Pennant Hills Observatory - 1898

Site of Observatory Park, Pennant Hills
[Photo taken February 2013]

One requirement for the Astrographic Catalogue was a clear sky away from the interference city lights. Henry Russell was successful in moving the astrographic telescope for the project to a site, known as Red Hill on the corner of Pennant Hills and Beecroft Roads at Pennant Hills. 

Construction of an Observatory on the site was completed in 1898. It was operated for 32 years by James Short, an astronomical photographer.

Photo showing Pennant hills Observatory circa 1890
[Source: TROVE - Powehouse Museum Collection]

In 1931, the impending retirement of James Short and lack of funding during the Depression years saw the closing of the facility and relocation of the telescope back to the Sydney Observatory.

Much good work had been accomplished at Red Hill.  A memorial has been erected indicating where the telescope stood.

Memorial at Observatory Park, Pennant Hills
[Photo taken February 2013]

Wording on memorial plaque
[Photo taken February 2013]

The Sydney Observatory isheritage listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.

It remained in continuous use as an Observatory until 1982, when it was was passed to the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, now the Powerhouse  Museum. 

Today the Observatory is maintained as a museum and public observatory with an important role in astronomy education and public telescope viewing.

Some of the more interesting exhibits include the Parramatta Observatory's original collection of instruments which is largely intact.

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*History Services NSW in its Convict Database as a record of one, Daniel Jackson ( per 
Somersetshire, arriving at Port Jackson on 16 October 1814) as having been employed in 1824 as a "Stonemason at the Observatory at Government House and when that work was completed he had the Governor's permission to be exempt from Government duty and to work for himself."

If you would like further information on Daniel Jackson, or if you are researching a convict ancestor go to our website at :

http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm

**Historyy Services NSW in its Government Contract and Contractors Database has seventeen records of government contracts being awarded for work on the Sydney Observatory during the period 1862 to 1900 including:

• 1868 to David Jones & Company - for carpets and blinds for Sydney Observatory;
• 1874 to T.R.Robinson - for supply and erection of Muntz Metal Dome for Equatorial  Tower, Sydney Observatory;
• 1877 to Goddard & Pitman - for additions to Sydney Observatory;
• 1880 to Stewart & Smith - for additions to residence at Sydney Observatory;
• 1896 to Shuker & Males - for building fireplaces, repairs,  Messenger Quarters, Sydney Observatory;

If you would like further information, go to our website at:

http://www.historyservices.com.au/govt_contracts.htm

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Blog prepared by Mary McGuinness - January 2014

Convict Relics - Where are they now?

Using the resources of TROVE (online information service of the National Library of Australia) it is interesting to find newspaper articles relating to relics from the convict days of our history. In particular:

Copper Coins At Emu Plains

"There has come into my possession this week half a dozen copper coins which were ploughed up by the gardner in the orchard of Mr L Chapman, of Emu Plains, near the spot where the whipping-post once stood in the old penal station established by Governor Macquarie, west of the Nepean River............." 

[Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 1 February 1924, page 8] 

Coin at Epping

"During excavations on the site of the new Catholic church-school at Epping, a relic of the old days was found in the shape of a coin dated 1799. In the early days a convict sawpit at this spot supplied timber to Sydney".

[Freeman's Journal, Thursday 23 May 1907]

Stone at Curzon Hall, Marsfield

Curzon Hall as it stands today - January 2014

"Reminiscent of old medieval castles, it was entirely built from second-hand material, and such was the skill of the workmen that its turreted towers and wonderful carvings are the relics of bygone days. The main portion of stone is taken from old convict-built cottages.........."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, 9 July 1932 page 7] 

Waverley House

"One of the most notable of the old landmarks of Sydney that are fast disappearing in order to make way for modern buildings, is Waverley House. For over three quarters of a century this relic of early days, which was erected as a mansion for Mr Barnet Levy in 1827 has occupied a commanding site on the Old South Head Road near the Bondi Junction. The house was constructed at a period when building was brisk, and when convict labour was largely availed of by the early residents  of Sydney........

The land having been recently sold in building allotments, the old landmark has been demolished. In the pulling down process several interesting relics of "convict" days were unearthed. These included portion of a prisoner's leg-irons and chain, a convict's chisel (with name stamped on), old coins, a gold brooch and other articles...."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 1 July 1904, page 5]

Leg Irons at Lithgow

Example of Convict Leg-irons

"A pair of leg-irons, a relic of the convict days, has been found by the postmaster at Tarana. They had been lying so long in the roots of a tree that they had been worn with rust and exposure. They had evidently been discarded by a convict as they were filed through. The irons now weigh four pounds. It is suggested that the convict escaped from Glenroy, on Cox's River, where a stockade was built in the twenties of last century." 

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, 27 August 1932 page 14]

"A relic of the convict days, portion of a leg-iron, has been found in the bush near Hassan Walls look-out. A stockade was maintained on the Great Western-road below Hassan Walls, and it is suggested that the leg-iron was cast off by an escapee. The discovery was made by Mr J Griffiths  who came upon the relic half-buried in the earth." 

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, 21 September 1935, page 18]

"A leg-iron, rusted and broken, has been found on the ridge east of Hassan Walls Lookout. It is assumed that it was cast off by a runaway convict,one of a gang which constructed the road to Bathurst in 1832. One link is broken, and the ring round the ankle has been altered in shape to allow the convict to slip his foot through.

A pair of leg-irons, excellently preserved, is in the possession of Mr Charles Mathers, of Lithgow, whose son found them on the mountain-side near Hartley Vale. They were bound with calico, which crumbled at a touch."  

[Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 28 March 1938 page 6]

Convict Relics on the road over the Blue Mountains

"A relict of the days when convicts were constructing the road over the Blue Mountains - a round ball of iron attached to an iron bar, such as were used to fasten the legs of convicts to prevent them running away - was unearthed yesterday by the Blackheath postmaster (Mr. E.Kleist) in the yard of the Blackheath post office. The ball weighs 12 lb.

Another convict relic is a pair if leg-irons whihc are embedded in teh fork of a gum tree in Blackheath Municipal Gardens...."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 16 September 1935,page 12]

"Councillor W. J. Lees of Mt. Victoria, makes a hobby of collecting relics of convict days. He has obtained a number of implements used in the construction of the Great Western Highway, including a rake employed to level the surface. He has a private museum, and adds to it as opportunity offers."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 22 June 1936 page 7]

Convict Chains at West Maitland 

"Relief workers leveling the old banks at West Maitland have found several interesting relics of the early days. About a month ago a man dug up a set of old chains which were thought to be those of the convict days, This was followed by the discovery of a lock 15 feet below the surface, which West Maitland's Deputy Sheriff (Mr O.S. Morisset) identified as a lock of the type used to chain convicts to ring bolts. He said it might have been dropped when the man was released. It was at least 100 years old."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 12 January 1935, page 20]  

Convict Handcuffs

Example of convict handcuffs

"A workman's pick unearthed an old, rusty, pair of handcuffs on Wednesday, at the corner of Liverpool and Sussex streets, where the City Council excavation work is in progress. It is surmised that the handcuffs were part of the old military barracks and convict prison which occupied  an adjacent site in the early days of Sydney."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 11 February 1921, page 10] 

Leg Irons At Goulburn

"A few days ago a relic of the convict days, in the shape of a pair of leg-irons weighing 8lb., was unearthed near the soil by a man who was digging near Old Sydney road near the city.

There are the remains of an old stockade [Towrang] a short distance away."

[Sydney Morning Herald,Thursday 31 July 1902, page 10]

Convict Stones at Parramatta

"Mr. W.Hulks, vice-president of the Parramatta sub-branch of the Returned Soldiers' League, said the building in Macquarie-street,Parramatta which is being remodelled for a soldiers' hall, was erected nearly 120 years ago. It was used as officers quarters for the regiments stationed at Parramatta. Subsequently it became a private school, known as Linden, and still later a laboratory for Meggitt's Ltd.

Beneath the building is a deep dungeon-like cellar, the walls of which are sandstone blocks two feet thick. This was evidently used as a prison, for the walls contain several scarcely legible markings............ 

Some of the stones bear the broad arrow marks of the convicts, denoting it was built  by prisoners, and the nails used throughout the building are of the old hand-made square variety........"

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 13 September 1930, page 14]

Leg Irons at West Dapto

"A relic of the days of old has been unearthed at West Dapto by Mr Percy Harvey. It consisted of rust-eaten leg-irons apparently 80 years old. ..............They were unearthed among the debris of the old West Dapto quarry. It was here in 1838-39 that the quarry near Mr Harris's was in operation, and it was here the stone was hewn by convicts for the foundation of the bridge ar Brownsville. In 1840 or 1842 Governor Gipps caused the prisoners to be removed, when the stockades at Brownsville, Unanderra then called Charcoal, Figtree and the Cross-roads were demolished."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 23 June 1905, page 5]

Dripstone at Windsor

" The Fitzroy Hotel, at Windsor, has a quaint relic of the early days of New South Wales. It is a huge earthen bowl known as a dripstone. Encased in a cedar cabinet, a product of convict labour, as is the stone itself, the bowl is an object of curiosity to the many tourists who visit the hotel................... 

The stone was presented to Governor Macquarie, by a convict, 120 years ago."

[Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 18 February 1931, page 17]

Cooking Pot at Glenhaven

Convict Cooking Pot
SMH article 28 December 1940 {source TROVE}

"Tilling the land on his orchard and poultry farm at Glenhaven News South Wales, Mr S. Yarrow, a retired Boer War Veteran, unearthed a relic of Australia's early convict days-an iron cooking pot. Attached to the handle of the pot was an old rusted handcuff.

Apparently the hapless convict cook had been attached to the pot whilst performing his duties.....

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 28 December 1940, page 5] 

Underground Cells At Gosford

"Until a few years ago, the quaint building depicted below, standing on an old estate [Wyoming[ about half a mile from Gosford, was an object of great interest to visitors. It was originally owned by Francis Hely [Frederick Augustus Hely], a superintendent of convicts, who employed large numbers of prisoners on his estate.

Nearby an old building used for their accommodation is still standing, strongly built of stone quarried in the locality. What the real object of the former was remains uncertain, but an inspection by the writer some years ago revealed a number of cells below the ground which could have been used for only one purpose..............

The old building has vanished, the site being marked by a lofty Norfolk Island pine. "

[Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 20 January 1940].

Carlton Hotel Foundations

"The Old Carlton hotel, at the corner of Short-street and Carlton-parade, Carlton, is at present being converted into modern flats and shops. In the rebuilding operations it was found necessary to remove part of the foundations, and two stones were found with convict markings on them........

[Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 19 April 1937, page 5]

These newspaper articles are so interesting to read because:

• they illustrate the geographic spread of convicts in the first decades of the Colony of New South Wales and how important their contribution actually was to the establishment of our settlements and infrastructure.  

• having been written only one hundred or so years after the peak of convict activity in NSW, they reflect attitudes to the then convict heritage. The convict finds were obviously significant. 

The emphasis on the convicts as being "prisoners" with the descriptions of the leg-irons,  handcuffs and cells is interesting. It should be noted that at the turn of the twentieth century,  there were still some living convicts in Australia.

History Services NSW has extensive convict records for research purposes.

If you are researching a convict ancestor, you should go to our website at: http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm

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Blog prepared by Mary McGuinness

I refer you to Trove's newspaper collection which includes digitised historic and modern newspapers which are accessible on line, as well as newspapers in microform and paper formats. Go to the website:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/

A True Convict Relic

In the Daily Telegraph of 17 October 2013, there appeared the story of centenarian, Ernest Bowden who recently presented a 'convict brick' to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. It is now on display at The Rocks Discovery Museum.

With the distinctive 'broad arrow', signifying 'government manufacture', it would be a true relic of the convict days of the early Colony.

Convict brick on display at the Rocks Discovery Museum,

 Sydney. Photo taken 21 November 2013.

Thle brick had come into Ernest's possession through his father, Rrobert Bowden, who was the official government photographer covering the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It had been given to Robert by Dr John Bradfield, Chief Engineer on the Bridge. The brick was found during demolition work on the Dawes Point Battery in The Rocks, Sydney, at the time of the construction of the Bridge. 

The history of Dawes Point, under the southern pylon of Harbour Bridge, is a story in itself. It has many layers dating back to 1789 when it became the site of Sydney's first fortification, through to the construction of the Bridge in 1925-1932, and to today's parkland.

In searching though newspaper articles at the time of construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, through the resources of TROVE (online information service of the National Library of Australia) we can piece together the typical finds of convict relics in the vicinity of Dawes Point:

Convicts Bricks and Stones
"To the opulent collection of relics of old Sydney, yielded by excavations for the harbour bridge, there was added yesterday a battered brick, found at Dawes Point, and was made probably more than 100 years ago. It was  in fair condition,[and] bore the broad-arrow imprint.............
Dr Bradfield says the brick probably came from the old water police court at Dawes Point which had to make way for the bridge approaches, and which was built from the materials in the fort and observatory put up at the point from the earliest days of the colony."
[Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 13 August 1931 page 8].

Was this Ernest's Brick?

"From this building he [Dr Bradfield] had [also] recovered an old sandstone block in which were rudely chiseled the figure 1789, and the initials R.R.- those of Major Robert Ross, the first Lieutenant-Governor, who came out in the first fleet. This stone, which Dr Bradfield gave to the Royal Historical Society, is claimed to be the first quarried for a Sydney building".
[Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 13 August 1931 page 8]

Stone bearing the imprint of 1789 and the initials 'R R'

on display at the Rocks Discovery Museum, Sydney.

 Photo taken 21 November 2013.

This stone is also on show at The Rocks Discovery Museum now on loan from the Mitchell Collection of the NSW State Library.

A photograph of it and other stones obtained during the excavation work for the Harbour Bridge was published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, 15 August 1931, page 14.

Sydney Morning Herald, 15 August 1931, page 8.
Photo from Daily Telegraph article 17 October 2013

A Dungeon
"Another link with the past was removed yesterday when employees of the Public Works Department dislodged the stone foundations of the old Dawes Point fortifications. A flight of steps led to three dark, dungeon-like chambers. Ventilation was supplied by means of a six-inch earthenware pipe leading to the surface. It was stated that the basement was one used for confining incorrigible convicts..........." 
[Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 25 February 1932 page 13].

Wooden Pipes
"Workmen engaged in making excavations near Wynyard-square for the supports for the approaches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, discovered yesterday some old pipes which are believed to have been made by convicts when Port Jackson was a penal settlement. They were located near a disused well some 30 to 38 feet below the present surface of the street. They appeared to be hollowed from limbs and stems of trees, probably ironbarks, and were in a fair state of preservation...............They created considerable interest, and were inspected by Dr J.J.C. Bradfield , chief engineer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge".
[Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 11 March 1927, page 11].

A Tombstone
"Another relic.....is a tombstone found when workmen were demolishing a row of houses to make way for the northern approaches to the bridge. It was apparently an ordinary paving stone in a yard over which generations of children had scampered. But when  it was turned over it was found to bear the inscription 'Sacred to the memory of Peter Crawford, first officer of the ship Surrey, who died of typhoid fever, 1806'. The Surrey, Dr Bradfield said, was a convict ship".
[Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 13 August 1931 page 8]

A Pump
" One relic of definite historic value consists of a portion of a pump for a well sunk in 1828 of 1829 by that early pioneer, John Busby, and uncovered at the Wynyard -square excavations. There is a section of a wooden pipe, about nine inches square, and made of ironbark, through the centre of which is bored longitudinally a hole four inched in diameter, and there is is also the lifting bucket, the lifting shaft, and a clack valve of lead and leather...".[Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 13 August 1931 page 8]

History Services NSW has extensive records of convicts who were assigned to the Dawes Point area.

If you are researching a convict ancestor who was assigned to the Dawes Point, you should go to our website at: http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm

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Blog prepared by Mary McGuinness

I refer you to Trove's newspaper collection which includes digitised historic and modern newspapers which are accessible on line, as well as newspapers in microform and paper formats. Go to the website:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/

Photos taken on site at The Rocks Discovery Museum, 21 November 2013.

Nelson Head - Inner Light

View of Nelson Head Light Tower and Lightkeepers cottage
 - view facing north October 2013

" Harbour Light, Nelson Head, Port Stephens. On and after the night of Monday, 1st April, a harbour light will be exhibited on Nelson Head, Port Stephens, visible at a distance of from 8 to 10 miles in clear weather................When Nelson Head is passed the light will again make out bright and be a guide for picking up anchorage or proceeding further into Port Stephens."

So appeared this notice in the Government Gazette of 28th March 1872, issued from the Office of the Superintendent of Pilots, Lights and Harbours in Sydney.

Nelson Head is situated between Shoal Bay and Nelson Bay, New South Wales on the southern shore of Port Stephens.

The need for an 'inner light' became obvious after the commissioning of the 'outer light' on Point Stephens, to guide vessels around the actual entrance to the port which has many close-in islands, rocky reefs and shoals.

The first light in 1872 was beamed from a wooden tower with four kerosene lamps. This was replaced in 1876 by a one storey octagonal tower which was attached to the lightkeepers residence which was completed in that year.

Nelson Head Lighthouse tower attached to cottage
 view looking eastward - October 2013

The light was electrified in June 1948, when externally mounted electric lamps replaced the original lamps. The controls remained inside the Light Room.

In 1984 the lighthouse was fully auotmated with the lights being mounted in a black box on a corner of the roof together with electronic controls.

In 1995, the light was relocated to a masthead atop the radio base which had been built over a Second World War observation bunker situated just below the lighthouse. It was solar powered at this time. The light was decommissioned in 2003.

View of lighthouse rooms and Marine Rescue NSW
Communications Centre - October 2013

Today the lighthouse cottage and reserve are managed by Marine Rescue NSW incorporating the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, which first set up a communication centre on Nelson Head in 1982.

On Sunday, 3 November 2013, Marine Rescue Port Stephens, celebrated the official opening of its refurbished Communications Centre on Nelson Head. The radio and communications hub has undergone a major upgrade from analogue to digital radio capability. 

Today the site boasts the Inner Light Tearooms and Lighthouse Cottage Museum, and is a major tourist attraction in the Port Stephens area, with magnificent views over Shoal Bay, Mts Tomaree and Yacaaba and the entrance to the port. It is definitely worth a visit.

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Historyy Services NSW in its Government Contract and Contractors Database has records of eighty-six government contracts awarded for the construction and repair of lighthouse premises NSW up to 1900 including: 

• Erection of Lighthouse Keepers Quarters, Nelson Head Port Stephens -1875 to H McMaster;

If you would like further information, go to our website at:

http://www.historyservices.com.au/govt_contracts.htm

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Prepared by Mary McGuinness

All photos taken  October 2013.

Point Stephens - Outer Light

View of Point Stephens Lighthouse from Mt Tomaree at a distance of
4 kilometres - October 2013

View of Fingal Spit from Mt Tomaree - October 2013

Point Stephens Lighthouse (Latitude 32° 44.9'S, Longitude 152° 12.2'E) is located on a rocky headland 4.25 kilometres south east of the entrance to Port Stephens, New South Wales. 

Point Stephens is an island connected by a sand bar (Fingal Spit) to the mainland and encloses the south-facing Fingal Bay. It was first sighted by Captain James Cook on 11 May 1770 on his voyage north.  He named it after Sir Philip Stephens, Secretary of the Admiralty. 

The waterway of Port Stephens (located 190 kilometres north of Sydney and 45 kilometres north-east of Newcastle) was important in the maritime history of the early Colony of New South Wales dating from the visit of the Salamander, a ship from the Third Fleet in 1791. Being a safe anchorage for ships and very navigable, it facilitated the development of a cedar-getting timber industry in the area and the establishment of the Australian Agricultural Company on the northern shore.

However the surrounding coastline was very rocky and the entrance to the port was hazardous. In the period before the lighthouse was built, there were twenty-four shipwrecks in the area with the loss of thirty-seven lives. These included the Dove in 1828 (seven lives) and the Pandora in 1836 (five lives).

The need for a lighthouse was identified in 1850s by local residents and ship owners.

In February 1860, the site on Point Stephens was chosen for a lighthouse as "it will form a good leading mark for ships entering Port Stephens Heads, as it will not be shut in by Tomaree heads.."  [Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 4 February 1860]. Also because the nearby Fingal Bay (originally  known as False Bay) was often mistaken as the entrance to Port Stephens.

The Lighthouse

View of Port Stephens Lighthouse looking eastward.
Note solar paneling in the right foreground.
Photo taken in June 2007

The Point Stephens Lighthouse came into operation on 1 May 1862. 

It was designed by the Colonial Architect, Alexander Dawson with a Doric tower and a flared base and external stairwell leading up to the entrance on the first floor. This design was unique at the time and makes it one of two similar lighthouses in NSW designed by Dawson. The other is the Hornby Light at Watsons Bay in Sydney Harbour.

The building contract was awarded to James Elphinstone by the Department of Public Works in 1860. The lighthouse is constructed of Hawkesbury sandstone which was brought to the site by ship. The original lantern was a canotropic design manufactured by the London engineering firm of H Wilkins and Co.

The original light was powered by kerosene. On 1 July 1922 it was converted to a Dalen Acetylene light. In 1960 mains power was connected with a backup diesel generator. The light was fully automated in March 1973. It was converted to solar power with battery storage in 1990.

The light today is under the control of NSW Transport Maritime.

The Cottages

To the north of the lighthouse are the ruins of the light keepers' residences. Completed in 1865, they are unique in that they are the only terraced light keepers cottages in NSW, that is all sharing the same roof. 

There were three one storey cottages in all. The building was constructed of the same imported sandstone as the lighthouse. The roof was originally made of slate and later replaced by terracotta tiles, circa 1901. There were five chimneys and bay windows and gables along the front. 

Remains of light  keepers quarters, Point Stephens - front view.
 Photo taken in June 2007

Remains of light  keepers quarters, Point Stephens -rearview.
 Photo taken in June 2007

Originally there were three lightkeepers in residence. The number was reduced to two from 1 July 1922 with the introduction of the Dalen Acetylene light.  A complete withdrawal of personnel took place on 25 June 1973 following automation of the light. The buildings were marked for demolition but a last minute reprieve saw them leased leased to the National Trust in !974. A caretaker stayed in the premises until March 1991.

Vandals destroyed the cottages by fire on 5 September 1991. In early 1992, a fence was erected and the chimneys and gables were stabilised by new brickwork.

The site of the lighthouse and cottages is heritage listed by NSW Environment and Heritage. 

{2 April 1999).

Today it is part of the Tomaree National Park under the  management of the NSW National  Parks and Wildlife Service.

At the time of the construction of the lighthouse, the spit, known as Narrowgut was high and dry and covered in scrub. The telegraph was connected to the lighthouse in the 1880s allowing communication with the outside world. This also provided the only link for the Nelson Bay Post Office. Wires on poles came across the sand spit joining the island to the mainland. However however this link was wiped out during the Maitland gale in 1891 which also swept away the sand spit.

Access to the island today is by boat or on foot possible at low tide. We had the experience of walking across the spit in June 2007 to explore the Point Stephens Lighthouse and the ruined cottages. Of late it has not possible been walk across the spit.

As a footnote, when the light was automated in 1973, the original dome of the lighthouse was replaced and today stands proudly atop the Tourist Information Centre in Nelson Bay.

Original lighthouse dome on the top of
 Tourist Information Centre, Nelson Bay - October 2013

History Services NSW in its Government Contract and Contractors Database has records of eighty-six government contract awarded for the construction and repair of lighthouse premises in NSW up to 1900 including seven for the Port Stephens area from, viz: 

• Erection of a Lighthouse at Port Stephens - 1860 to James B Elphinstone;
• Repairs to Lighthouse Keepers Quarters, Port Stephens - 1873 to James B Elphinstone;
• Erection of Lighthouse Keepers Quarters, Port Stephens - 1874 to William McCrea:
• Erection of Lighthouse Keepers Quarters, Nelson Head Port Stephens -1875 to H McMaster;
• Additions to Lighthouse, Port Stephens - 1887 to Hudson Brothers;
• Erection of a retaining wall at Lighthouse, Port Stephens - 1887 to James Fox and Company; and
• Repairs to Lighthouse, Port Stephens - 1887 to Wilson, Walker and Company.

If you would like further information, go to our website at:
http://www.historyservices.com.au/govt_contracts.htm

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Prepared by Mary McGuinness

All photos taken June 2007 and October 2013.

Rouse Hill School House

Site of Rouse Hill School on the right of Old Windsor Road

Another feature of the Rouse Hill historic precinct is the old Rouse Hill School House site atop the old Windsor Road. 

It was built in 1888 just opposite the carriage way of Rouse Hill House. It is of the standard brick and stone construction of its time. It was designed by the architect William Kemp (Department of Public Instruction) and built by the firm of Cranney and Greenway.  

A matching brick and sandstone teacher's residence was built circa 1895, but this was demolished in the 1960s.

There was a long association between the Rouse/Terry families and the school. It appears no coincidence then that both the House and school were painted in the same 'Pompeiian red' for many years from 1909.

Rouse Hill School House - 1888

Early photo and information signage

Typical of its time, the school house includes a large classroom
 in which all grades were taught by the one teacher

View from the back of the schoolhouse 

The Historic Houses Trust of  NSW acquired the Rouse Hill school site in 2002 when the Department of Education built a new school in Rouse Hill.

This was an important acquisition for the Trust as it allowed for negotiation with the Roads and Traffic Authority in the planned upgrading of Windsor Road. In the subsequent roadworks, the RTA agreed to deviate approximately 1.5 kilometres of Windsor Road to the north of the school building in an arc from Second Ponds Creek to Guntawong Road.

History Services NSW in its Government Contract and Contractors Database has five records relating to the Rouse Hill Public School site including the contract for "New Buildings, Rouse Hill" awarded to Cranney and Greenway in 1888 by the Department of Public Instruction.

If you would like further information, go to our website at:
http://www.historyservices.com.au/govt_contracts.htm

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Prepared by Mary McGuinness

All photos taken on the Open Day at Rouse Hill House and Farm on 

17 August 2013