Discover the fascinating history of shipping and shipwrecks in the Jervis Bay area.
The lantern was originally placed in the Cape St George Lighthouse in Booderee National Park. The ruins of this lighthouse remain. It was built in 1860, but it was built in the wrong place. It gave very little visible light to ships and between 1864 and 1893 there were 23 shipwrecks in the vicinity of Jervis Bay.
This lighthouse was abandoned in 1899 after a replacement was built at Point Perpendicular, and the Wilkins & Co lantern was reused to fit-out the Crookhaven Heads Lighthouse, which was constructed in 1904. Here it was used to as a beacon for commercial shipping using the Shoalhaven and Crookhaven Rivers.
When this lighthouse was decommissioned in 2007 the original lantern was surplus to requirements and was allowed to deteriorate. It was removed by helicopter in 2011 and following initial restoration work at the South Coast Correctional Centre it was donated to the Museum by NSW Crown Lands in 2018. It was finally housed on the grounds of the Museum in 2022 on a new base.
Inside the new building a spiral staircase gives access to the mantle, and there is a map showing its different locations over time set in the ground at the base of the building.
