It serves as the rear light of the Goods Island Range,[3] pointing out the entrance to Normanby Sound.

In 1882, pearl fishers operating in Torres Strait requested that a light be established at the western entrance to the straight.

Their request was accepted by George Heath, chairman of the Queensland Marine Board, who dictated the location of Goods Island.

A temporary light installed on the signalman's quarters was finally replaced by the lighthouse, constructed in 1886.

The original apparatus was a fourth order dioptric with a totally reflecting glass mirror.

It is conical in shape, made of hardwood frame clad with white painted corrugated iron.