The Coral Sea is the basin of the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of Australia. It is named for its many coral reefs, including the famous Great Barrier Reef. Australia administers all the islands and reefs of the Coral Sea south of latitude 12° S and west of longitude 157° E. Within this area and east of the Great Barrier Reef there are 18 major reef systems that include at least a small amount of dry land and at least a dozen other reefs that are submerged entirely or dry only at low tide. In 1969 these bits of land were assembled into the federally administered Coral Sea Islands Territory. None of the islands have ever been inhabited and the only habitable structure on any of them is the Bureau of Meteorology station on Willis Island. The station was established in 1921 to provide early warning of tropical cyclones threatening the coast of Queensland. The Willis Island station is normally staffed by four meteorologists and an electronics engineer. Automated weather reporting stations have been placed on eight other reefs. Navigational lights in the territory are maintained and operated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), an agency within the Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Admiralty numbers are from volume K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 111.
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![]() Lihou Reef Light, 1999 AMSA photo |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: New Caledonia | West: Northern and Central Queensland
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Posted March 20, 2009. Checked and revised January 9, 2025. Lighthouses: 5. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.