Here at the Former Cowan Cowan Signal Station, a silent sentinel stands. This station whispers tales of maritime communication. It echoes with the vigilance of wartime defense.
The Former Cowan Cowan Signal Station was erected in the late 1930s. The Royal Australian Navy built it. The Queensland Government acquired it in 1947. This was not the first signal station at Cowan Cowan. It was the second.
Let’s step back to the early days of the Moreton Bay penal settlement. Vessels entered Moreton Bay through the South Entrance. That passage sat between Moreton and North Stradbroke Islands. Navigation aids appeared in 1825. A Pilot Station was established at Amity Point by 1827. The southern entrance proved difficult. The northern entrance’s advantages were considered. Despite hazards, the southern entrance remained the main one. It better suited the colony. Entrances were marked. The pilot station was at Amity Point.
Moreton Bay became a free settlement in 1842. Regulations changed. Shipping activity increased. Brisbane became a Port of Entry in 1846. It became a Warehousing Port in 1849. By the mid-1840s, both entrances were used. Surveys were conducted in 1846. Buoys marking the northern entrance were laid. Sailing directions were published in 1847. The southern passage was prepared for closure. After the Sovereign sank in 1847, a harbour master was appointed. Additional buoys indicated the northern entrance. In 1848, the pilot station moved from Amity Point. It went first to Cowan Cowan then to Bulwer. The pilot station marked the first European settlement of Moreton Island.
The Bulwer pilot station closed in 1909. Only the signalman remained. He was in charge of the telephone station. In 1912, the Signal Station moved to Cowan Cowan. This spot was more convenient for vessels. They used the North West Channel. It was declared the safest entrance to Moreton Bay in the 1890s. The channel ran near Caloundra. It crossed the bar toward Moreton Island. Then it went southwesterly toward the river’s mouth. James Palmer became signalman at Cowan Cowan Point in 1913. Other signalmen included Charles William Hill and Harry Wadsworth. By the mid-1940s, the signal station building was deteriorating. Coastal erosion threatened it.
Fort Cowan was completed in the late 1930s. It became part of the defensive system for southeast Queensland. Other fortifications were at Caloundra, Bribie Island, and Rous. These along with Fort Lytton formed a coordinated defense.
Shipping channels simplified battery placement. The North West Channel was the major access route. This dictated artillery battery positions. Fort Cowan took over the Examination Battery role from Fort Lytton. A Port War Signal Station was erected. The Examination Service was staffed by Naval Reserve Volunteers. Their function was to identify vessels entering defended ports. Merchant vessels were met by an Examination Vessel. If a vessel couldn’t be identified, it was investigated. The Naval Signal Station received signals from Examination Vessels. It relayed messages to the gunnery. Two examination vessels were stationed at Cowan Cowan during World War One.
All PWSSs closed after September 1945. In 1946, the Department of Public Works negotiated to purchase the former Naval Signal Station. The building was ideal for a Signal Station. It had a tower mast and flag room nearby. The Queensland Government acquired it in 1947.
In 1954, the PMG proposed a radio telephone service. The PMG had considered acquiring the Naval Signal Station. However, the building was too large. The radio telephone equipment was housed in the Signal Station. Wadsworth maintained it.
VHF radio communication reduced the need for signal stations in the early 1960s. The Signal Station closed after Wadsworth’s retirement. The lighthouse continued to operate automatically.
Wadsworth and his wife Jessie acquired land near the Signal Station in 1952. They were granted an Informal Lease over the former Signal Station site in 1967.
Telecom removed the radio telephone equipment in 1976. Harry Wadsworth died in 1979. Jessie died in 1985. In 1989, the land became a recreation reserve under the control of the Brisbane City Council.
The timber stairs to the upper level were removed in 1990. The radio mast was removed in 1993 due to white ants.
Today, the Former Cowan Cowan Signal Station stands as a reminder of Queensland’s history. It demonstrates the evolution of Moreton Bay’s navigation network. It played a role in the defense of Queensland during World War Two. As you stand here, consider the messages sent and received. Remember the people who kept watch.