Nelson Head Light, also known as Nelson Head Inner Light, is an inactive lighthouse on Nelson Head, a headland near Halifax Park in Nelson Bay.
Unlike other lighthouses, the Nelson Head Light had no tower but was shown through the window of the lantern room.
Shoal Bay Beach, Seabreeze Estate and the Inner Lighthouse during the 1960s from the Arthur Renforth Collection.
The station was established in 1872 with four kerosene lamps shown from a wooden tower. The light guided ships into Port Stephens.
In 1876, the light was installed in an octagonal lantern room attached to the cottage and shown through a 3-metre window. The light was electrified in 1946, and automated in 1984.
In 1995 the light was replaced with a solar-powered lantern which was attached outside the previous lantern room.
In early 2003, the light was deemed unnecessary, and it was shut down.
From the Arthur Renforth Collection.
The cottage was occupied by 14 successive resident keepers, and the Maritime Service Board, until 1985.
Since 1986, the cottage has been preserved and maintained by the Nelson Head Lighthouse and Rescue Station Trust. In 1990, the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol was appointed as trustee.
The house is now managed by Marine Rescue NSW. under the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol and serves as a maritime museum for the Inner Lighthouse Trust and the Port Stephens Historical Society.
Sourced from the Flickr Album of the Howder Family.