By Kingston SE Branch, National Trust of South Australia.

The Cape Jaffa Lighthouse is an iconic South Australian historic cast iron structure which sits proudly on the foreshore at Kingston SE, providing memorable insights into the lives of lighthouse keepers and their families who lived and worked in incredible conditions to provide a mantle of safety for coastal shipping.

For 101 years it weathered the ravages of sea and wind on the Margaret Brock Reef before creating Australian history when it became the first off-shore Lighthouse to be meticulously dismantled and reassembled and on the foreshore at Kingston S.E. in 1976.

The Kingston S.E. Branch of the National Trust of South Australia is proud to have been entrusted with the care, maintenance and preservation of this important piece of maritime history.

For the last 47 years, since it opened as a museum on land, countless local people have shown an unwavering commitment to the preservation of the Lighthouse. Volunteer guides have conducted tours throughout the year and preservation work has been undertaken by dozens of individuals donating their time, equipment, and labour.

The Secretary of the Kingston Branch and National Trust State Councillor, Alison Stillwell said, “maintenance of this cast iron structure is a major challenge in its coastal location. We have been advised that the entire structure must be stripped back every 10 years to ensure its preservation. This is estimated to cost upwards of $150,000”.

“Rust and corrosion are ongoing issues so any major restoration work needs to be done really well so that the paint work will last as long as possible”, she added.

The Kingston S.E. Community is rallying to ensure that these urgent and essential maintenance tasks can commence and have planned several fundraising events.

The first of these, a social occasion with a difference, will be held on Friday September 29th in the Kingston District Hall.

An Australian premier showing of the documentary, “Lighthouse Lives” filmed on the spectacular Scottish coast will be shown. It will be accompanied by gourmet finger food and local wines. 

A lighthouse preservation expert will be a special guest.

Details can be found on Cape Jaffa Lighthouse website and bookings made through Trybooking.com/CKJSP

The evening will also mark the launch of the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse Conservation Appeal which has been set up to raise funds to assist with these urgent conservation tasks necessary to preserve the Lighthouse so that it can continue to provide a fascinating insight into our past and maritime history.

Members of the public are encouraged to donate to through the nationaltrust.org.au/donate-sa/