brief history ...

Not long after the Sydney colony was started, people use the Hawkesbury River area as a source of wood for the young developing colony. At the same time, Broken Bay was used more and more as a refuge for the ships carrying goods between Newcastle and Sydney. As a result two wooden lighthouses called the Stewart Towers were built in 1868.

As the traffic was increasing steadily a new lighthouse was built, having James Barnet as architect and in 1881 the current Barrenjoey Lighthouse was entering in service. While the lighthouse remained unchanged on the outside, the optical equipment evolved from oil wicks to acetylene gas and in 1972 was electrified.

Lighthouse character is four white flashes, separated by 2 seconds, every 20 seconds. The Barrenjoey lighthouse has a 113 metres elevation and can be seen from 35 km.

The lighthouse can be visited and has also a small museum associated that illustrates the history and the evolution of the lighthouse.

Trivia: Barrenjoey in is the Aboriginal name for a young kangaroo.

tourist information ...

How to get there
By bus from Wynyard Station. If you go directly to Palm Beach take an Express service. It's much faster. See map.

Contact details:
59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney
PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232
Phone: +61 2 9995 5000 (switch)
Web site: Department of Environment and Climate Change

Hours of Operation:
The grounds of the lightstation are always open for public access.

For information on guided tours in the lighthouse, ring Cadmans Cottage on 02 9247 5033.