The Light Of Adventure: 1500 Days of Travel in 15 Lighthouses

The heading of this blog post might incorrectly suggest that I travel to see lighthouses. However, it is true that after several milestones, I have reached 1500 days of travel. I marked this milestone about four years and 40 days after leaving Belgium. Who could have known? I initially only extended six months of travel to seven months of travel. Besides, even the people convinced that I would stay away longer estimated something between 2 and 3 years. Yet, after a pandemic and many experiences, I have reached 1500 days of travel. 

Only a couple of weeks ago, I wrote the post: 4 years of travel in 20 different chapters, summing up the bulk of my travels. I needed something new, and even though I can write plenty of posts about the lessons learned, personal growth or how I went from travel-zero to hero in 1500 days of travel, I needed something flimsier. I did write down a couple of ideas, but the lighthouse one was the most to my liking. 

I’ve always loved lighthouses, although I don’t know why. It could be their appearances in some movies that I liked when I was younger, their history, their remoteness or their association with exploration and adventure. They have just always intrigued me. Whenever and wherever there is an opportunity to see one, I’ll take it. Moreover, the best time to see lighthouses is throughout the night, making camping underneath them always a memorable experience. In the light of adventure, let me tell you more about 1500 days of travel in 15 lighthouses. 

Ngọn Hải đăng Vũng tàu:

As I didn’t visit any coastal towns in Thailand and Cambodia, Vung Tau’s Lighthouse in Vietnam was the first lighthouse I saw on my trip. Standing on Tao Phung Mountain, this 18 meters high lighthouse reaches 170 metres above sea level. The Vung Tau lighthouse is the oldest of 79 lighthouses in Vietnam. The French built it in 1862 to signal and instruct ships. Vung Tau itself was an important trading port for the French colonial government. The city played a significant part during the Vietnam War as it served as a support base for American troops. 

Cape Moreton Lighthouse: 

The last addition, closest to 1500 days of travel, to my list of lighthouses, is the Cape Moreton Lighthouse on Moreton Island. The 23 metres tall lighthouse, built in 1857, reaches about 122 metres above sea level. The tower itself is constructed with sandstone quarried on the island. Moreover, the Cape Moreton Lighthouse is the oldest in Queensland, Australia. It took me about six months working at Tangalooma before seeing this lighthouse. 

Cape Otway Lighthouse: 

Talking about the oldest lighthouse in Queensland, I also visited the oldest lighthouse in Australia. The Cape Otway lighthouse was essential for the 84-kilometre gap between Cape Wickham on King Island and Cape Otway itself. This gap, known as the Eye of the Needle, is the Western entrance to the roughed Bass Strait, famous for some of the biggest swells in the world. This 20 metres tall lighthouse, standing at about 77 metres above sea level, is one of my best memories of my first overnight hike, the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria.

Cape Wickham Lighthouse: 

If you are familiar with my travels over the past few years, you could have seen this coming; Cape Wickham lighthouse. After visiting Cape Otway, I also travelled to the lighthouse on the other side of the Eye of the Needle on King Island. It’s Australia’s tallest lighthouse and one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere. Its height is 48 metres high and reaches 85 metres above sea level. Living for almost one and a half years on King Island in Tasmania, I got spoiled and saw it multiple times. 

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse: 

I’ll take you from Australia’s tallest lighthouse to mainland Australia’s tallest lighthouse, Cape Leeuwin. Standing on the Southern Westerly tip of Australia, the 39 metres high Cape Leeuwin lighthouse reaches 56 metres above sea level. Although it has been a while since I visited this lighthouse, it marked one of the most remarkable moments of my road trip across Western Australia. I had no idea I was driving towards this lighthouse as I was following signs to Cape Leeuwin, a pleasant surprise. 

Wadjemup Lighthouse (Rottnest Island): 

Talking about Western Australia, I flew to the west to explore Rottnest Island. Not because of the lighthouse but because of the Quakkas found on the island. However, seeing the Wadjemup lighthouse from all around the island, I decided to go and have a look. At a height of 38 metres, the total elevation of the lighthouse is 80 metres above sea level. Rottnest Island is one of the world’s last places without cars, and I rented a bike to explore the island. The island got its name from Willem de Vlamingh in 1696 after finding the pretty cute Quokkas. 

Vlamingh Head Lighthouse: 

The Vlamingh Head Lighthouse in Exmouth, Western Australia, is named after the same Willem de Vlamingh. Finished in 1912, this 12,2 metres high lighthouse reaches about 73,2 metres above sea level. It’s located nearby a huge old army base, so I had forgotten entirely about this lighthouse. While looking for a picture of Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, I remembered that this is one of the most northern points of my Western Australian road trip. It was on day 49 that I made it to Vlamingh Head, more than 1451 days ago. 

Tasman Island Lighthouse: 

The Tasman lighthouse is the exception on this list, as I didn’t visit this lighthouse up close. While exploring Port Arthur and its surrounding, I got some great views of this remote island from the Cape Pillar lookout. I remember searching afterwards if I could make it to Tasman Island, but it would have been over my budget. The Tasman Island lighthouse is one of the latest built lighthouses in Tasmania, as it was only finished in 1906. The 29 metres high lighthouse reaches 276 metres above sea level. 

Cape Byron Lighthouse: 

The iconic Cape Byron lighthouse is a little overrated compared to other lighthouses on this list. Although, being Australia’s most powerful lighthouse standing on the most easterly point of the mainland makes it unique. Finished in 1901, this 22 metres high lighthouse reaches an elevation 118 metres above sea level. It was iconic for me as Byron Bay is one of those places every backpacker visits, having Cape Byron appear in many Blogs and Vlogs. It was the confirmation of how I was finally doing these trips myself. 

Split Point Lighthouse: 

Another lighthouse that was iconic for my travels was the Split Point Lighthouse. This 34 metres high lighthouse that reaches 66 metres above sea level was overlooked on my first travels along the Great Ocean Road. I only later discovered that Split Point Lighthouse or the White Queen was the original set for the series: Round The Twist. I had to go back and see it for myself. Besides, not just is the lighthouse stunning, but its entire surroundings make a day to Split Point an excellent day trip from Melbourne. 

Currie Lighthouse: 

The Currie Lighthouse, overlooking the Currie Harbour on King Island in Tasmania, is my favourite lighthouse on this list. The 21 metres high lighthouse was built in 1879 and reaches 46 metres above sea level. It’s not the most beautiful lighthouse on the list, but for almost 1,5 years, I lived within walking distance away from this lighthouse. Whenever I felt like it, I could overlook the Currie Harbour underneath its light in the middle of the night. It’s also the first lighthouse I saw from the inside in both daylight and night, as per Avalon’s present. 

Cape Bruny Lighthouse: 

Travelling through Tasmania was a relief after staying in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Travelling was more challenging than before the pandemic, so I had to improvise with some camping and hitchhiking. While making my way towards Bruny Island, I had never expected that so many people would be eager to take me along on their trip around the island. It was a wonder I saw this 13 metres high, 1838-built lighthouse on Cape Bruny, but it was a sign I had hoped for; everything would slowly get back onto its feet.

Hornby Lighthouse:

With Avalon and my brother Kobe, we left Bondi Beach to walk towards the 1858-built Hornby lighthouse. On the way, we had a couple of thunderstorms, heavy rain and even some hail, surprising us, but we made it and saw one of the primary lighthouses of Sydney Harbour. Although only 9 metres high, with a total height reaching 27 metres above sea level, we had to work hard to see this lighthouse.

Fitzroy Island Lighthouse:

The 17-metre high lighthouse on Fitzroy Island in Queensland is far from a beautiful lighthouse like others on this list. However, storywise it is the most unique one. It was built very recently in 1942 as a lighthouse and a radar control tower to keep an eye out for Japanese warships. Moreover, it is one of the first lighthouses with pre-programmed light flashes using two rotating bullseye lens panels instead of a single rotating light. South of 217°, it shows two short flashes followed by one long flash, forming the letter U (go up) in Morse code. North of 217°, it has the Morse code for D (go down).

Point Moore Lighthouse: 

Okay, here is my disappointing word game: let finishing with Point Moore Lighthouse mean more lighthouses will be on their way! Although my word game could be better, I like to end this 1500 days of travel post with the 1878 Point Moore Lighthouse. Point Moore is a lighthouse I randomly found on my road trip across Western Australia. Its height is 29 metres, and it was the first all-steel lighthouse built in Australia. The distinctive colours were added in 1969. 

Here’s to 1500 days of travel, an adventure of a lifetime. It had me a blast, and even with the travel landscape changing during and even after the pandemic, hopefully, it is the start of an even bigger adventure. Love you all. 

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