Bulwer Island is a 120 hectares (1.2 km2) reclaimed tidal mangrove island at the mouth of the Brisbane River in the suburb of Pinkenba, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is named for Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the British Colonial Secretary who separated Queensland from New South Wales in 1859 and made Sir George Bowen its first Governor.[1][2]

Bulwer Island
Bulwer Island from Fort Lytton
Map
Geography
LocationNorthern Australia
Coordinates27°24′30″S 153°08′25″E / 27.40833°S 153.14028°E / -27.40833; 153.14028
Area1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi)
Administration
StateQueensland
CityPinkenba

Air crash

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In May 1961 a TAA DC-4 airliner crashed onto Bulwer Island during landing at Brisbane Airport. The pilot had suffered cardiac arrest and slumped over the control column preventing the co-pilot from regaining control before the plane dived into the mud of the island.

Oil refinery

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Land was reclaimed joining the island to the mainland commencing in 1963. An oil refinery commenced operations in 1965, and was converted to an import terminal in 2015.

Lighthouse

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A lighthouse, known as Bulwer Island Light, stood on the island between 1912 and 1983, as part of a pair of leading light. In 1983 it was replaced by a skeletal tower and relocated to the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bulwer Island – neighbourhood in the City of Brisbane (entry 5169)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  2. ^ The Victorian Web: Sir Edward G. D. Bulwer-Lytton
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Southern Queensland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 14 November 2010.