Lighthouses of SA - Tipara Reef Lighthouse Wallaroo, South Australia, Australia
By Team MavEtJu on 20-Oct-16. Waypoint GA8629

Lighthouses of SA - Tipara Reef Lighthouse

Lighthouse at Tiparra (more usually spelt Tipara) in the Spencer Gulf off Moonta Bay, South Australia. The screw pile lighthouse over the Tipara Reef in Moonta Bay was the first lighthouse in Spencer Gulf and was operational from August 1877. The pyramidal skeletal tower is very like the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse on Margaret Brock Reef in the state's south-east.

Prior to this a lightship, the schooner Alexander, was stationed over the reef from February 1865. However following a number of wrecks and near misses it was decided a lighthouse should be built there.

Tipara Reef Lighthouse used a Chance Brothers first order apparatus for its light. The light's platform was well frequented by birds and a major task of visiting service crews was the removal of nests.

Tipara Reef Lighthouse was replaced by a light tower at Warburto Point on the adjacent mainland in 1995. The tower of the old Tipara Reef light now stands in Wallaroo at the Maritime Museum. There is a small beacon on the remnants of the platform.

Photo: lighthouses.org.au

For more information, see SAMemory.

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