With a mainland coastline 6,973 km in length, there have been at least thirty lighthouses along the Queensland coast and on some of the islands that served as navigational aids and marked dangerous areas and safe entries to harbours.
The Museum has a small collection of lenses and light mechanisms from those lighthouses that were modernised or decommissioned.
In addition, the Museum is the custodian of two full-size lighthouses that were both relocated from their original positions, namely Bay Rock Lighthouse (located inside the Museum grounds) and Wharton Reef Lighthouse (located on the Palmer Street roundabout near the Museum).