Cape Jaffa Lighthouse

Cape Jaffa Lighthouse is one of a few lighthouses which has been successfully transferred from its rocky offshore platform serving as a guide at sea for ships, to be rebuilt in the town as a tourist attraction and an historical building on land where people are able to see for themselves what lighthouse keepers` families conditions were like.

The Cape Jaffa Lighthouse was originally located on a reef five miles off Cape Jaffa. When the lighthouse operations first began three families ran it. Two families would operate the lighthouse and one family remained on shore performing shore duties. At the end of six weeks the family on shore would take over the lighthouse duties for three months, wives and children would go too.

The reef was rarely exposed and families had to be confined to living quarters. Children would have to be kept quiet during the day while the keepers slept after being on duty during the night.

 

Category: Historical Sites and Heritage Locations - Landmarks and Buildings