Beadon Point Rear Navigational Leading Light, Onslow

Values

• The place may be a rare example of a navigational leading light tower from the inter-war period.
• The place is associated with the redevelopment of the Onslow jetty in 1934, a major government project.

Physical Description

Beadon Point Rear Navigational Lead Platform sits on the outskirts of the town of Onslow, on the flat coastal plain southeast of Onslow District Hospital in remnant bush land of low scrub.
The main structure is a four-sided pyramid tower approximately 14m high, constructed of a combination of steel L beams, organised into boxed sections via horizontal beams, with diagonal cross bracing along each face. The structural members are held in place through bolts attached to flanges at the corner of each cross beam. A steel access ladder is located on the southeast face.

History

The original town of Onslow, known as ‘Old Onslow’ was established in 1882-1883 near the mouth of the Wongalwarra Pool/Ashburton River by shipping merchants Clarke & McKenzie to take advantage of the growing mining, pearl and pastoral trade of the region. The town was officially gazetted in 1885 and functioned as a regional trade point. However, by the inter-war period a number of cyclones saw the need for the jetty servicing the small town to be rebuilt and relocated. Another negative factor was the downturn in the pearling industry and strict Federal navigation laws that saw businesses in the town close. By 1922 a new jetty was built further up the coast at Beadon Point, and in 1924 the ‘new’ town of Onslow was gazetted nearby, which saw ‘Old Onslow’ formally abandoned the following year. During this year a small reserve was created on the site of Beadon Point Rear Navigational Lead Platform for ‘Harbour Purposes’.
During this period, the Public Works Department (PWD) was active building lighthouses and navigational aids across the state, which was also influenced by the federal changes to navigation laws. An important distinction in these works was the difference between ‘ocean’ lights such as substantial lighthouses, which guided the direction of journeys at sea and ‘port’ lights, which were navigational aids for ships to safely make their way to landing sites.

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