Channel Marker Obelisk

Author

City of Cockburn

Place Number

10163

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Location

Cockburn Rd Munster

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Channel Marker & Trigonometric Beacon, Munster

Local Government

Cockburn

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1874, Constructed from 1872

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
Heritage List	Adopted	14 Jul 2011
State Register	Registered	03 Jun 2005	Register Entry Assessment Documentation	Heritage Council

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	10 Apr 2014	Category A	Category A Exceptional significance Essential to the heritage of the locality. Rare or outstanding example. The place should be retained and conserved unless there is no feasible and prudent alternative to doing otherwise. Any alterations or extensions should be sympathetic to the heritage values of the place and in accordance with a Conservation Plan (if one exists for the place).

Statement of Significance

Channel Marker Obelisk is a rare remaining example of a limestone obelisk navigational marker along the coast of Western Australia, and demonstrates the principal characteristics of a Victorian seamark and trig point.
Channel Marker Obelisk is associated with the 1870s hydrographic survey of Gage Roads and Cockburn Sound, which sought to find a safe passage and anchorage to gain access to Fremantle by P & O Mail Steamers. It functioned as a seamark for entry to Cockburn Sound through the
Challenger Passage and is important in the history of navigation in Western Australia.
Channel Marker Obelisk is a simple, unadorned man made object with landmark qualities, conspicuously sited on a ridge within a rugged natural bush setting.
Channel Marker Obelisk combines with Woodman Point Lighthouse as a pair of significant navigational elements, which occupy a prominent location.

Physical Description

Channel Marker Obelisk is a rendered limestone rubble obelisk located above Jervoise Bay in Cockburn Sound. It was constructed between 1872 and 1874 as a trig point for the hydrographic survey of Gage Roads and Cockburn Sound, and was subsequently used as a seamark for the Challenger Passage into Cockburn Sound between Carnac and Garden islands. Channel Marker Obelisk is located at 32° 09’ south and 115° 46’ east.

History

Between 1872 and 1874, a detailed survey of Cockburn Sound and Gage Roads was undertaken by Staff Commander Archdeacon and Staff Commander J. E. Coghlan of the Royal Navy. Channel Marker Obelisk was constructed as a trig point for the survey. It may have been constructed with convict labour, although no record of this has been found.
The survey of the Challenger Passage showed that a vessel with a 16’ draught was the greatest that could be taken through the channel safely. The P & O Steamers had a draught of 18’. Another passage known as the North Channel, which was nearer to Garden Island, had deeper water, but there were several limestone pinnacles which made that passage particularly dangerous. Following these surveys, regulations prohibited vessels of over 16’ draught from passing through the Challenger Passage.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY; High: the place continues to fulfil the function of a navigational marker and could at any time fulfil the function of a trig point if required
AUTHENTICITY: High: the place, including its setting, appears to be unchanged

Condition

Good: there are some areas of inappropriate render repairs and isolated small areas around its base where the limestone has lost its render

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	HCWA assessment for ; "Channel Marker & Trigonometric Beacon, Munster".	State Heritage Office

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Original Use	Transport\Communications	Water: Other
Present Use	VACANT\UNUSED	Vacant\Unused

Architectural Styles

Style
Other Style

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Other	STONE	Limestone

Historic Themes

General	Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	River & sea transport
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES	Water, power, major t'port routes

Creation Date

22 Dec 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

06 Dec 2019

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.