Barrenjoey Lighthouse
Barrenjoey Road, Sydney City, Sydney and Surrounds, Queensland 2108
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Disabled Facilities: No
Operating Hours: CONTACTS:
Phone: (02)9472 9300
Visit Barrenjoey Lighthouse
The Barranjoey Lighthouse was the third light on the headland and was completed in 1881.
A customs station was established in 1843 as the Headland marked the entrance to Broken Bay and the Pittwater which were considered to be the backdoor of Sydney for smugglers.
The first report of any light on the headland was in 1855 when a fire was raised in a basket to assist mariners during stormy weather. Broken Bay and the Pittwater were a safe haven in storms for vessels carrying coal from Newcastle to Sydney.
Later, in 1868, two wooden lighthouses know as the Stewart Towers, were built at either end of the headland to guide ships in.
The need for a more permanent light lead to the construction of the current lighthouse. The tower is unpainted and built of the very aesthetic local sandstone.
The original apparatus in the new tower was a fixed red dioptric of 700 candlepower with four oil wick burners.
It is interesting to note that when this light commenced operations in 1881, and the first keepers were the George Mulhalls, father and son, who had also tended the lamps of the wooden Stewart Towers.
In 1900, an explosion followed by a fire destroyed the ornamental roof of the adjacent oil house. Fortunately it was subdued before reaching the tower.
