Gabarus Lighthouse

Gabarus Lighthouse stands on Harbour Point on the south shore of Gabarus Bay, on Cape Breton Island's windswept southeastern coast. The present 1891 tower is a hexagonal wooden structure painted white with a red lantern, rising about 31 feet and visible from the Fleur-de-lis Trail. Rowlett lists the station Active (continuous red light, CCG A-610); its future is uncertain as the shoreline erodes.

The light was first established here in 1890 to guide mariners into Gabarus Bay. It was fitted with a seventh-order dioptric lens between 1922 and 1941, and the tower standing today was built between 1955 and 1962 as a replacement for the original. Like all of Nova Scotia's lights it is now automated, with automation completed by 1988.

The lighthouse owes its survival to the community. When shoreline erosion left the tower within a couple of metres of the cliff edge, the Gabarus Lightkeepers Society was formed in 2014 to raise funds and win permission to save it; on November 27, 2015 the 1890 light was winched to safer ground inland, and it was restored to its original design the following year. The tower itself is not open to the public, but the grounds are open year-round for picnicking, walking and photography. Easily reached by car, the lighthouse is a rewarding photo stop along the Fleur-de-lis Trail, and visitors can learn more through the village's own lighthouse page at gabarus.ca.