Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1894-01-01 - 1900-12-31 (Accumulation)
- 1880-01-01 - (Creation)
Level of description
Medium
Format
Status
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Harbour and Light Department was constituted in 1880 under the Chief Harbour Master, Fremantle. The Department was responsible for control of all maritime matters, including lighthouses and other navigation aids and the administration of the shipping and pilotage legislation. The Department controlled the ports of Albany, Vasse (Busselton), Bunbury, Geraldton, Port Irwin and Cossack and it operated lighthouses at Bunbury, Bluff Leading Light, Breaksea Island, Cossack, Fremantle, Point Moore, Port Irwin, Point King, Rottnest Island and Vasse. The Department passed control of Fremantle Port to the Fremantle Harbour Trust in 1903 and to Bunbury and Albany soon afterwards. Control of lighthouses was passed to the Commonwealth in 1915.
Following the passing of the Marine and Harbours Act 1981, the name of the Harbour and Light Department was changed to that of the Department of Marine and Harbours in 1982.
Repository
Archival history
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This series consists of a single register to correspondence received by the Harbour and Light Depratment. For each item of correspondence, the register records that letter number, the date, from whom the letter was sent, to whom the letter is addressed and the subject of the letter. How the correspondence was disposed of by the department is sometimes noted in the register.
(The register in this Record Series was previously listed at the State Records Office at reference: AN 16/8; Accession 1316).