Nobbys Head

Nobbys Head, Newcastle

Originally called Coal Island, Nobbys Head is a headland on the south side of the entrance to Newcastle Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. It is the location of Nobbys Head Lighthouse, the third lighthouse built in New South Wales after the Macquarie Lighthouse in 1818 and the Hornby Lighthouse which was also built in 1858.^[1] The lighthouse is included in Newcastle's Coat of Arms.^[2]

History

Nobbys Head in 1887

Nobbys Head was first sighted by Europeans on 10 May 1770 by Captain James Cook from the ship Endeavour and was described by Cook as;

"A small round rock or Island, laying close under the land, bore South 82 degrees West, distance 3 or 4 Leagues".^[3]

It was not until the discovery of coal by Lt. John Shortland in 1797, that the island was viewed as having any significance.^[4]

In 1804, Signal Head was the first place in Newcastle that any form of Navigational aid was set up. Originally a coal burning light, it was changed over to oil in 1821 for a short period of time but was reverted back to coal as the oil system was not reliable.^[1]

Governor Macquarie ordered a pier to be built to join Coal island to Collier Point. The pier was started on 5 August 1818 and convict labour was used to do the construction. It took 38 years to complete the pier and during this time numerous convicts were lost to the sea due to the convicts having to work through all sea and weather conditions, night and day.^[5][6]

Nobbys Head was thought to have been originally 62 metres (203 ft) high, however work done by the Coal River Working Party in 2010 has concluded that the original height was more likely 27.5 m (90 ft) high.^{[citation needed]} It was reduced to its current 27.5 m (90 ft) height because sailing ships were losing wind in the sails as they rounded Nobbys Head. The rock taken from Nobbys to reduce its height was used in the pier's construction.^[7][8]

Future

In 2010 the NSW Government agreed to transfer ownership of the headland from Newcastle Port Corporation to the Department of Lands for potential incorporation in a National Park or reserve.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The Nobbys Head Lighthouse at Newcastle". Lighthouses of New South Wales. Lighthouses of Australia Inc. http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/NSW/Nobbys%20Head/Nobbys%20Head.htm. Retrieved 14 September 2007. 
2. ^ "Commonwealth heritage places in New South Wales (Nobbys Lighthouse, Newcastle East)". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/commonwealth/nsw.html#nobbys. Retrieved 21 July 2008. 
3. ^ James Cook (1768-71). "Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the World". Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, London. 1893. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8106/8106.txt. Retrieved 29 August 2007. 
4. ^ "First Discovery of Nobbys". Newcastle Port Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829162727/http://www.newportcorp.com.au/page_default.aspx?pageID=118. Retrieved 14 September 2007. 
5. ^ "Australia's First Port". Newcastle Port Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829025520/http://newportcorp.com.au/page_default.aspx?pageID=43. Retrieved 14 September 2007. 
6. ^ "Convict Built Pier". Newcastle Port Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829162849/http://www.newportcorp.com.au/page_default.aspx?pageID=120. Retrieved 14 September 2007. 
7. ^ "Wind In Ship Sails". Newcastle Port Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829161343/http://www.newportcorp.com.au/page_default.aspx?pageID=121. Retrieved 14 September 2007. 
8. ^ "Nobbys is the enduring landmark of Newcastle". Newcastle City Council. http://www.ncc.nsw.gov.au/discover_newcastle/visit_our_libraries/nobbys. Retrieved 14 September 2007. 

• (PDF) List of Lights, Pub. 111, The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans. List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2009. p. 124. http://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/NIMA_LOL/Pub111/Pub111bk.pdf.