Coffs Harbour’s all-seeing eye will blink back to life on Friday – with an historic light show for the enjoyment of the local community.
The South Solitary Island Lighthouse Optic (SSILO) has taken centre stage near the entrance to the Jetty Foreshores Pier since its restoration and installation in a purpose-built display case in 2024.
For its first lighting at the new site, the optic drew a buzzing crowd of 400. That excitement is set to be repeated when the on-switch is hit at 6pm on Friday, 26 September, to mark World Maritime Day.
“The old lighthouse optic will be illuminated and cycle through its phases for half-an-hour so it’s a great opportunity for people to gather at the jetty and relive an iconic part of Coffs history,” said City of Coffs Harbour Council Mayor, Nikki Williams.
“Bring a picnic rug, maybe some takeaway prawns and chips, and make an occasion of it under the hypnotic glow of the optic.”
The kerosene-fuelled light stood sentry at Coffs Harbour from 1880 until 1975 when the lighthouse was automated and the optic decommissioned.
‘Old faithful’ then fell into a dark period, being stored in a Harbour Drive building for decades until a plan was hatched to restore it to a stage of glory.
This involved a complex procedure which required a partial roof removal as the large and heavy jewel was craned from the table tennis centre.
The project saw many roll-up their sleeves for the prized piece in the Yarrila Arts and Museum Collection.
The project to return the light to working order and have it on public display was made possible by funding from both the City of Coffs Harbour and the NSW Government – and driven in part by the volunteers of Friends Of South Solitary Island Lighthouse (FOSSIL).
“The plan is to light the optic twice a year – on its birthday in March and in September to mark World Maritime Day. This will be the fourth time it will be illuminated since finding its new home at the jetty,” City Planning and Communities Acting Director Ian Fitzgibbon said.
“The conservation exercise to resurrect the optic saw the project highly commended in the National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards.”
At a grand ceremony on 15 March last year, Jack Duvoisin gave the order to relight the optic. While it was 144 years to the day after it was first turned on officially on South Solitary Island in 1880, it was Mr Duvoisin who decommissioned the light in 1975 when the station was automated.
“This is one of the finest displays of light piece equipment anywhere in Australia,” the former lighthouse regional engineer told the crowd.
Mayor Williams praised FOSSIL for its role in celebrating the optic.
“They have been true believers since day dot in this project and remain passionate about South Solitary Island, its history, and its potential,” she said.
Mr Fitzgibbon said the optic is a beacon in the modern storyline of Coffs life.
“It’s the first and last lighthouse optic in NSW to be powered by kerosene and it’s irreplaceable as the factory in the UK which made the glass panels was destroyed when it was bombed in World War II,” he said.
You can watch a video of the optic’s rebirth here.
