Cape Bowling Green was named by
James Cook on his
1770 exploration of the Australian east coast. Many ships wrecking at Cape Bowling Green necessitated the construction of a lighthouse at the cape. The first Cape Bowling Green Light was constructed in 1874, one of 22 lighthouses of a similar design constructed in Queensland around that time. It was a round conical tower, constructed of local
hardwood timber frame
clad with
galvanized iron plates imported from Britain. The lighthouse was
prefabricated in Brisbane, then dismantled and shipped to the location to be erected again. The construction was done by the brothers John and Jacob Rooney of
Maryborough, which also constructed
Sandy Cape Light,
Cowan Cowan Point Light,
Cape Capricorn Light,
Lady Elliot Island Light and
Booby Island Light. The original lens was a 3rd order
Chance Brothers dioptric lens, and the light source was a
kerosene wick lamp with an intensity of 13,000
cd, visible for . The apparatus was rotated with a
clockwork mechanism and the station was operated by four
lighthouse keepers, a chief and three assistants. In 1878 beach erosion threatened the lighthouse for the first time and it was moved for the first time. In 1908 the tower had to be relocated further away for the same reason. In 1913 an
incandescent gas mantle operated by vaporised kerosene was installed, raising the power to 64,000 cd. In 1920 a fixed automatic
acetylene gas lamp (
carbide lamp) with a
sun valve was installed. As a result, the lighthouse was demanned and all other buildings were demolished. In 1985 a
racon was installed. In 1987 the lighthouse was replaced by the current skeletal tower. With the sponsorship of the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the lighthouse was dismantled, and sections were lifted by a
Department of Transport helicopter to a site where they were numbered, crated, and shipped to Sydney. By 1994 the lighthouse was reassembled at the Australian National Maritime Museum where it is now on display. The lighthouse is still operational, using the original 3rd order lens and a typical 1913 clockwork mechanism, and it maintains its original
light characteristic, four white flashes every twenty seconds (Fl.(4)W. 20s). ==Current structure and display==