Francis Howard Greenway (Pencil portrait in oval mount)

Macquarie Lightstation in Vaucluse is the home of Australia’s first lighthouse. The construction of Macquarie Lighthouse, at the entrance to Port Jackson on South Head, was ordered by Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of NSW.

Francis Greenway – an English-born architect and convict serving a sentence for forgery – was tasked with designing the lighthouse, and Captain John Gill was appointed the project supervisor. Work on the lighthouse commenced in 1816, when the foundation stone was laid, and the structure was completed in 1818. Governor Macquarie was so pleased with ‘his lighthouse’ that he named it in honour of himself and gave Greenway a partial pardon.

Image courtesy of Mitchell Library (State Library of New South Wales)

Image reference: ML 482