Beacons

In 1957 the Mutual Life and Citizens (MLC) insurance company showed interest in installing beacons on top of their tall city buildings to indicate the Bureau's weather forecasts. The first was switched on in North Sydney on 31 December 1957. The beacon indicated the forecast using incandescent lamps by day and fluorescent tubes by night, when it was visible for many miles.

The lights were aligned vertically in two groups. In the upper group, flashing ascending lights indicated warmer temperatures, descending flashes cooler temperatures and steady lights no temperature change. In the lower group, slow white pulses indicated rain clearing, slow red pulses rain developing, steady white fine, steady red rain, fast white pulses strong winds and fast red pulses strong winds and rain.

In those days transistor radios were not in common use (especially in cars) and the beacons were popular with commuters travelling to and from work.

Two beacons were installed on high buildings in Melbourne in 1958, the first on the MLC building in April and the second on the Carlton and United Brewery in May.

The beacons were operated by a remote control in the Bureau's Divisional Office and were set at 6 am to indicate the forecast to 6 pm, at noon for the afternoon and evening, at 4.30 pm for the period ending at dawn next day and at 10 pm for from dawn to noon next day. Adjustments were made at other times when forecast amendments were required.

A beacon was installed on the MLC building in Adelaide in June 1958 and, as was the case in Sydney and Melbourne, the companies displaying beacons produced a small pocket card explaining the system of signals indicating the forecast weather. The MLC insurance company installed a similar beacon on its building in Brisbane in July of that year. On a visit to Brisbane in August 1997 I saw a similar beacon still burning brightly atop a city building. The Coca-Cola company erected a more complicated neon advertising sign in Swanston Street, Melbourne, somewhat later which displayed forecast information briefly in words.

Bureau of Meteorology