Point Lonsdale

Point Lonsdale is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong and Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Point Lonsdale is also one of the headlands which frames "The Rip", the entrance to Port Phillip. The headland is dominated by the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse.

Point Lonsdale received a signal station in 1852 to help ships negotiate its dangerous waters. A wooden lighthouse from Shortland Bluff was then dismantled and re-erected at Point Lonsdale in 1863. The present lighthouse was built in 1902, while the earlier wooden lighthouse was cut up for firewood in 1912. The base was altered in 1950 to provide an observation and shipping control room. The Point Lonsdale Lighthouse is one of the last manned lighthouses in Australia.

The Carousel

The Carousel sits inside a pavillion on the Quay at Waterfront Geelong. It is an antique Armitage-Herschell carousel dating back to 1892, restored to operating condition. The carousel consists of 36 wooden horses and 2 chariots, and this includes 24 original horses which took over 300 man hours to restore.

The carousel tells the story of King Arthur and Camelot. The beautiful paintings form branches which hold the canopy like a giant tree, with panels showing the tales of the story. The horses and chariots circle the story and along with the whimsical carnival music give the pavilion a fairytale like atmosphere.Originally the carousel was powered by steam but in its restored form it now runs on electric power.

One of the horses in original condition