12/01/2026
Australian Lighthouse Service
Pete Robo
Rising contributor
Cape Schanck Lighthouse
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Constructed - 1859
Changed to electricity - 1939
Around 1859 was a hectic time for the Department of Ports and Harbors in Victoria.
Six new lighthouses were announced, including:
Cape Schanck
Wilsons Promontory
Port Albert
Portland Bay
Port Fairy
Warrnambool.
This period was also the start of the "Chance Brothers" tradition.
The Cape Schanck lens was just one of the first 20 new lenses to come out of the Birmingham factory and was the first of a few hundred that would eventually make the long trip from the UK to Australia.
And that same lens still remains in place and in service at Cape Schanck today.
Info & Photos: Garry Searle
Prism Magazine 2019
Lighthouses of Australia Inc