MCCRAE Lighthouse will receive $1 million for urgent conservation works under the state government’s Living Heritage Program.
The landmark, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register, needs repairs as a result of its age and the harsh conditions it has endured over the past 137 years.
The works will repair or replace the lighthouse’s gutters, windows, balcony and copper dome and will also include sandblasting and repainting of the riveted iron structure.
Reportedly the state’s tallest at 31 metres and an essential Port Phillip navigation aid, McCrae Lighthouse was built in Birmingham in 1874 and shipped to McCrae in 1883.
Its beam guided mariners through the South Channel on the eastern side of Port Phillip from the 1850s until it was turned off by the Port of Melbourne Authority in 1994.
“McCrae Lighthouse is a popular destination for locals and visitors to the Mornington Peninsula, so this funding boost will have cultural and economic benefits for our community,” Nepean MP Chris Brayne said.
First published in the Mornington News – 9 June 2020
