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Point Danger (Tweed Heads)

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788: 58: 288:, the site of Gladstone. Oxley explored Moreton Bay, which had been named by Captain Cook, and the Brisbane River, as well as exploring and naming the Tweed River. It was during this voyage that Oxley encountered what is now known as Fingal Head and reported it as being Point Danger, so named by Captain James Cook. Oxley's favourable report on the Brisbane River saw him return the following year and establish the colony of Brisbane under the direction of Sir Thomas Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales in 1824. 42: 704: 305:, which he named the Clarence River, unaware that it had already been named the Tweed River by Oxley in 1823. Rous came up the eastern coastline and around the reef off the coast of the feature now known Fingal Head, and arrived at a place now called Rainbow Bay, so named after his ship. It was there that Henry Rous has arguably caused all of the confusion. He named the, at the time, unnamed site of Point Danger as being that of Cook's Point Danger. 65: 292: 318:
little doubt exists that the feature named Point Danger by Captain Cook was in actual fact the feature now known as Fingal Head. However, as the name has been known in its present position for over 130 years and having in mind the wording of the letters Patent of 6 June 1859, in which the position of
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There was further confusion as to the location of Cook's Point Danger when in 1840 surveyor Robert Dixon was given the task of doing the first land survey of the area. Dixon's role was to map the New South Wales and Queensland border. He was told to map the border from the west to Point Danger on the
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We now saw the breakers again they lay two Leagues from a point under which is a small Island, their situation may always be found by the peaked mountain before mentioned from them this mountain or hill, and on this account I have named Mount Warning it lies 7 or 8 Leagues inland the land is high and
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The misnaming obviously raised a significant constitutional issue. Yet despite this pronouncement, some 18 years later debate was still continuing. In November 1989 the Geographical Names Board approved a historical re-enactment of Cook's voyage. The research for the re-enactment led to Acting Chief
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In 1970, on the 200th anniversary of Cook's naming of Point Danger and given that the location seemed to be correct, a memorial was placed at the current site and the New South Wales, Queensland and Federal governments combined to erect the Point Danger Captain Cook Memorial Lighthouse. However, in
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The matter did not finish there however. Many were unhappy with a conclusion that appeared to be so at odds with the historical facts and agitation continued. Trevor Lipscombe, in closely tracking Cook's voyage and ground-truthing the places he named, concluded in
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From an analysis of Cook’s Private Log, the Official Log of the 'Endeavour', Cook’s Journal and the journals of Cook’s Officers, and relating the analysis to modern nautical charts and maps of the area, it is suggested that the following conclusions be
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reviewed the argument put forward by the Geographic Names Board. As a result of Gold's representations, and support from a number of authorities, Mr Chris Hartcher was able to rise and inform the Parliament of New South Wales on 9 April 2008:
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that today the Geographical Names Board has considered Mr Gold's efforts and announced that the official records for Point Danger and Fingal Head will be changed to reflect both the historical versions of the naming of Cook's Point
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The next morning, (same log date 16 May) James Cook, although much further out to sea, recorded the location of the reefs and named the point off which the island and reefs lie - Point Danger. He wrote:
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the QLD-New South Wales border is linked with the position of Point Danger, the Board is not prepared to assign the name to any feature or position other than that to which it is currently located.
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1971, the following year, after much debate about the location of Cook's Point Danger and the Queensland-New South Wales border, the Geographical Names Board declared:
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east coast. Dixon took the location of Cook's Point Danger as being that of the one identified by Rous in 1828 rather than the one identified by Oxley in 1823.
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From the re-enactment voyage, I now have no doubt that Captain Cook's, 'point of land under which lies a small island', was intended to be today's Fingal Head.
240:. Continuing North from there, at about 5 pm on 16 May 1770 (log date) he encountered the reefs that run 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) east from 399:
to increase its beam. The experiment was unsuccessful and it returned to conventional electric lamps. It emits a double white flash every ten seconds at a
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There has been controversy over the naming of Point Danger for many years. It seems the controversy began as early as 1823, when government surveyor,
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hilly about it, but it is conspicuous enough to be distinguished from everything else. The point off which these shoals lay I have named Point Danger.
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by a Japanese submarine on 14 May 1943. The Walk of Remembrance commemorates other ships lost to Japanese and German action during
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5. It is the opinion of the Geographic Names Board Committee therefore that the present Point Danger is correctly designated.
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However, in 1998, following another review, the New South Wales Geographic Names Board, it was concluded, in part:
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height of 44.5 metres. However, there are no reefs off, or running East from this point. The light is operated by
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Henry Rous' hand-written manuscript log from HMS Rainbow – held at the National Archives of the United Kingdom
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Dr. Nigel Erskine's (Curator Exploration Australian National Maritime Museum) report dated 8 March 2007.
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Report of the Counselor's Committee 3 February 1971 - M.L.Document 1723 - Archives Authority of NSW>
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John Oxley's hand-written manuscript 'Fri.31 Oct – Archives Office of NSW (location 2/8093)
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These reefs are now named Danger Reefs and comprise Inner Reef, South Reef and Outer Reef.
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Point Danger or Fingal Head: Fingal Head and part of Cook's chart showing his Point Danger
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Point Danger or Fingal Head: Fingal Head and part of Cook's chart showing his Point Danger
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mouth to the south, present-day Point Danger has also indicated the border between
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James Cook's hand-written manuscript – 16 May 1770 – held at the National Library
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and takes the form of plaques arranged in a semicircle around the lookout fence.
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At some time in 1828 Henry John Rous, travelling north, charted the
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There can be little doubt that Fingal Head is Cook’s Point Danger
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HMS Rainbow's Log: dated 21 August 1828 - PRO 5752 51/3381
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A view which Captain Phillip Parker King concurred with.
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In 2007, at Ken Gold's behest, Dr Nigel Erskine of the
699: 199:, the Centaur Memorial and Walk of Remembrance, the 573:"Point Danger – 09/04/2008 – PRIV – NSW Parliament" 248:. To avoid these reefs, formed by a lava flow from 203:Point Danger station, and the southern end of the 687:. Big Volcano Tourism Marketing & Media. 2003 525:"A Dangerous Point: Fingal Head and Point Danger" 503:"A Dangerous Point: Fingal Head and Point Danger" 1253: 210:The Centaur Memorial remembers the sinking of 160:on the east coast of Australia. Separated by 16:Headland at Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia 731: 605: 738: 724: 685:"Walk of Remembrance and Centaur Memorial" 522: 500: 236:, then sailed up the coast to the famous 661:Annandale: Envirobook. pp. 225–228. 290: 649:Australian Hydrographic Chart "AUS 813" 455:Australian Hydrographic Chart "AUS 813" 1254: 719: 575:. Parliament.nsw.gov.au. 9 April 2008 325:Surveyor Ron Benjamin finding that: 64: 1262:Geography of Gold Coast, Queensland 366:Australian National Maritime Museum 13: 634: 613:"Lighthouse Lights – NSW Maritime" 464:Oxley's manuscript 31 October 1823 14: 1293: 665: 191:The point is the location of the 786: 702: 63: 56: 40: 679:. Lighthouses of Australia Inc. 596: 587: 565: 556: 547: 544:Lipscombe 2005, p. 226-227 538: 523:Gerritsen, Rupert (June 2013). 501:Gerritsen, Rupert (June 2013). 516: 494: 485: 476: 467: 458: 449: 433: 417: 1: 673:"The Point Danger Lighthouse" 410: 380: 1277:Tweed Heads, New South Wales 1272:Headlands of New South Wales 7: 653:Fingal Head or Point Danger 553:Lipscombe 2005, p. 227 156:on the southern end of the 10: 1298: 751:First voyage of James Cook 384: 224: 1244:*Places where Cook landed 1242: 1209:Sir Charles Hardy Islands 892: 795: 784: 758: 677:Lighthouses of Queensland 212:Australian Hospital Ship 133: 117: 82: 51: 39: 30: 23: 602:Australian Chart AUS-813 1267:Headlands of Queensland 747:Australian places named 46:Point Danger lighthouse 1227:Prince of Wales' Isles 378: 362: 347: 333: 322: 298: 269: 102:28.16667°S 153.55000°E 371: 356: 337: 327: 315: 294: 262: 134:Offshore water bodies 1156:14 June – 4 August: 996:Northumberland Isles 532:Placenames Australia 510:Placenames Australia 234:Rame Head (Victoria) 107:-28.16667; 153.55000 1041:Whitsundays Passage 928:Double Island Point 657:Lipscombe, T. 2005 617:maritime.nsw.gov.au 205:Gold Coast Oceanway 98: /  1061:Cumberland Islands 861:The Three Brothers 387:Point Danger Light 299: 278:, set out in HMCS 230:Captain James Cook 168:to the west, with 1249: 1248: 1221:Possession Island 1115:Frankland Islands 1073:Magnetical Island 1024:Cape Hillsborough 710:Queensland portal 659:On Austral Shores 445:. Ken Gold. 2007. 429:. 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Index

Headland
Point Danger lighthouse
Point Danger is located in Australia
28°10′00″S 153°33′00″E / 28.16667°S 153.55000°E / -28.16667; 153.55000
Coolangatta
Tweed Heads
Coral Sea
headland
Coolangatta
Gold Coast
Snapper Rocks
Rainbow Bay
Duranbah Beach
Tweed River
New South Wales
Queensland
Australia
Captain Cook
lighthouse
Marine Rescue NSW
Gold Coast Oceanway
Australian Hospital Ship Centaur
World War II
Captain James Cook
Rame Head (Victoria)
Botany Bay
Fingal Head
Cook Island
Mount Warning
Cook Island

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