Moreton Island Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built in Queensland. Built by tradesmen and convicts, the 23-metre-high lighthouse was lit for the first time in 1857. Moreton Island is almost entirely sand, so the lighthouse is built on a rare rocky promontory and is constructed of island sandstone.
It was built to cope with increased shipping movements and for a long time was the only light on the entire east coast of Australia. The large number of shipwrecks scattered around the entrance to Moreton Bay attest to the need for the light.
Originally the light used an oil wick, which was converted to pressurised acetylene gas in 1930 then 110-volt electricity in 1937, 240-volt in 1967, and finally to solar power in 1997. In 1998 the lighthouse was made automatic and now has a laser beam that reaches up to 30-kilometres out to sea.
The lighthouse is on the northern point of Moreton Island. It's a great spot to watch marine life including dolphins, turtles, manta rays and dugongs, plus migrating humpback whales during the winter months.
In one of the old keeper's cottages is the Moreton Island National Park Information Centre with a great source of island history.
