[2] In 1911, the Lighthouses Act was passed, giving the Commonwealth the power to take responsibility over navigational aids as required.

The CLS tackled this task with the installation of twenty new fully automatic unattended lights, a decision motivated by the shortage of manpower, materials and funding caused by World War I.

The apparatus was a fully automatic Dalén light consisting of a carbide lamp feeding on compressed acetylene gas, controlled by a sun valve.

[1] The construction of Wharton Reef Light was especially difficult due to bad weather.

The light had an intensity of 1,500 cd and was visible for 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi).

[2] The tower was donated by the federal Department of Transport to the Townsville Maritime Museum.

[2] The Fresnel lens from the light is on display inside the museum, along with other lenses used in the area.

[6] The current light characteristic is a flash every five seconds, white, red or green, depending on direction (Fl.W.R.G.