Since I first became interested in landscape photography, I have enjoyed photographing lighthouses in NSW. There is something special about lighthouses that acts like a beacon and draws people’s attention to them. Yes, I am starting this article with a pun!

Jokes aside, lighthouses come in many different shapes, sizes and, to some degree, colours. As a photographer, lighthouses make for fascinating subjects and are one of my favourite things to capture.

Most of the time, lighthouses are positioned along the coastline, which certainly helps their appeal. You can incorporate the sea, some sort of rock face, and the lighthouse into your compositions.

I love photographing lighthouses! 😊

My list of NSW Lighthouses to Photograph

I have always thought it would be super cool to travel around Australia and photograph the many different lighthouses scatted along the coastline of this beautiful country. I may get there one day, although it is an ambitious goal as there are apparently 350 lighthouses in Australia.

Thankfully, I have been fortunate to travel to and photograph some beautiful lighthouses in New South Wales. So, I can start by sharing these lighthouses with you along with an accompanying image, helpful details and a brief description.

Like most of my other photography location lists on this website, I have listed each location according to my opinion of good to great. However, a few factors go into this beyond the lighthouse looking amazing in photos. The other main factor is the accessibility of the lighthouse when trying to reach it.

My list of New South Wales lighthouses that I have photographed includes:

Grotto Point Lighthouse

A photo of Grotto Point Lighthouse at Balgowlah Heights

I do like this photo of Grotto Point Lighthouse taken as the sun sets in the background. I took this photo from the rock platform below, which you can reach by making a short climb down to this area. The benefit of photographing Grotto Point Lighthouse from here is that you can include all of the beautiful textures in the rocks and water with the little letterbox-styled lighthouse perched on the ledge above. (HDR Image, Nikon D300s, 10mm | Sunset | December 2013)

  • My Rating: 7/10
  • Year Constructed: 1920
  • Best time to photograph: Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

I thought starting this list of lighthouses I have photographed in New South Wales with Grotto Point Lighthouse would be fun.

While I have only rated it a 7, and hence its position at the very start of this list, the loss of 3 rating points has nothing to do with the look of the lighthouse itself. It is undoubtedly one of this list’s more fascinating and potentially peculiar-looking lighthouses.

Grotto Point Lighthouse looks like a very large letterbox. In fact, it is one of four lighthouses in NSW in which the design is referred to as ‘Disney Castle’.

The lighthouse certainly looks like something that might come to life in a Disney movie like Fantasia! 😄

Where Grotto Point Lighthouse lost points was in its difficulty to get to it, and the limited space there to take photos. It has been many years since I first visited this location, and it sounds like the walk to Grotto Point Lighthouse has gotten easier. I remember the last bit of the track, from the main walking trail to the lighthouse, being overgrown with shrubs and branches.

Although, I certainly wouldn’t put it past me to have gone the wrong way. 🤦

Grotto Point Lighthouse is also positioned on a tiny clearing on top of a rock shelf on the north side of Sydney Harbour. There really isn’t a lot of room there to move around. The beautiful white picket fence surrounding the lighthouse, which stops public access, makes the area even more restricted. However, I didn’t feel this was a massive issue with the fence being close to the lighthouse.

However, this leaves you with two areas in which to photograph Grotto Point Lighthouse.

You can photograph the lighthouse up close, but you will need to include the white picket fence in this composition. I did do this and was quite happy with the image that I got.

The other option is to climb down the ledge next to the lighthouse to a flat area of rock below. I don’t remember this climb being that difficult, but a second pair of hands would be beneficial to help with passing up and down camera gear. So certainly try to take a friend or fellow photographer with you when visiting Grotto Point Lighthouse.

Despite the difficulty I experienced in reaching Grotto Point Lighthouse and the limited space, I enjoyed photographing this lighthouse and recommend visiting this spot if you get the chance.

Grotto Point Lighthouse might be one of Sydney’s best-kept secret photography locations!

Nobbys Lighthouse

A photo of Nobbys Lighthouse in Newcastle

This photo was taken out along the breakwall, past Nobbys Head. In this photo, I used the large rocks alongside the breakwall and water to fill my foreground rather than the long path just to my right. This style of composition of Nobbys Lighthouse is helpful when there are lots of people out enjoying a walk. (HDR Image, Nikon D750, 16mm | Sunset | May 2016)

  • My Rating: 7/10
  • Year Constructed: 1858 (* 1821)
  • Best time to photograph: Sunrise & Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

I have been to Nobbys Lighthouse several times, and I do enjoy photographing it.

The lighthouse is located close to the Newcastle CBD and is a popular location for locals and tourists looking to make the most of the beautiful scenery. Not only do you have the lighthouse, but it’s positioned along the stunning Nobbys Beach. A long path stretches along the break wall and extends beyond Nobbys Lighthouse. Great for fitness fans or those wanting to take a leisurely stroll.

Due to its location and popularity, it is probably one of the busiest lighthouses I have photographed in NSW. So you will need to be patient and look for gaps in foot traffic or creative compositions that limit the number of people moving through your scene.

Unfortunately, access to Nobbys Lighthouse is limited as the gate that leads up to the lighthouse is nearly always closed. This will mean that, unlike most of the other lighthouses on this list, except for maybe Grotto Point Lighthouse, you cannot get any close-up photos.

That said, there are many other opportunities to capture a good photo of Nobbys Lighthouse from the causeway leading up to the headland, the breakwall beyond and the beach itself. Both the causeway and breakwall have interesting elements, be it various rocks, street lights or even a section of railway track just off to the side. Each of these features adds compelling features to the foreground of your photos.

Thankfully, Nobbys Lighthouse is a location that has the benefit of being able to be photographed at either sunrise or sunset.

* The first beacon positioned in this area was constructed in 1821. Then in 1858, after, what sounds like extensive renovations to the area, Nobbys Lighthouse and signal station were built.

Nobbys Lighthouse, Location Review

Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse

A photo of Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse near Seal Rocks

This photo of Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse is probably my favourite lighthouse photo that I have taken to date. And it nearly didn’t happen! The wind was howling over the headland, and the sun had set. So I decided to pack up my camera gear and head for the car as I still had a 2-hour drive to reach my accommodation. However, once I got down past the lighthouse keeper’s cottages, I looked over my shoulder and noticed that the beacon had been turned on! So I made the decision to quickly head back up to take a few more photos. I am very thankful that I did! (HDR Image, Nikon D750, 16mm | Sunset | November 2022)

  • My Rating: 7/10
  • Year Constructed: 1875
  • Best time to photograph: Sunrise & Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

I have only visited Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse once, and, despite it being extremely windy, which made capturing any sort of sharp image difficult, I loved the location!

Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse is located near Seal Rocks, a popular beachside suburb on the New South Wales North Coast. The lighthouse is perched high atop the headland and provides a stunning vantage point from which to look out over the surrounding area.

Like many lighthouses in NSW, it is painted in the traditional white with a navy blue trim, as is common with lighthouses for which James Barnet was responsible for designing. It is a decent-sized lighthouse but is potentially made to look small due to the trees and shrubs that are within close proximity to it. There is a joke here, but I will reframe from making it! 😝

There isn’t much space to walk around and take photos of Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse. You are limited to the path leading up to the lighthouse and a short distance beyond that in which a flag pole and, from memory, a small communications hub have been established.

This makes photography a little more complicated, especially on a windy day, as you can’t escape the many trees and shrubs which will be included in your photo. I also have a hunch that windy conditions are not uncommon on top of this headland.

One of Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse’s many endearing details is the exterior staircase. This aspect makes it one of only two lighthouses in Australia to have this feature. And before you ask, ‘yes’, I did go up them! 😉

The general public does need to park outside the entrance and make the rest of the way on foot. So you will have a 10 to 15-minute walk from the car park to the lighthouse keeper’s cottages, which look incredible. From here, you then have a short but steep incline to reach the top of the headland and Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse.

The incline can feel even steeper if you get back down to the bottom, realise that the light has just come on in the lighthouse and decide to quickly head back up there to capture a photo of it before the light completely fails! 😄

I would love to go back and photograph Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse again.

Macquarie Lighthouse

A photo of Macquarie Lighthouse at Vaucluse

I do believe that Macquarie Lighthouse is the largest lighthouse on this list, but it also might be the most difficult to photograph due to there not being a lot going on around it. This could suggest that lighthouses don’t make great photos; it’s their combination with the surrounding environment they are placed in. (HDR Image, Nikon D300s, 10mm | July 2014 | Sunrise)

  • My Rating: 7/10
  • Year Constructed: 1883 (1818 *)
  • Best time to photograph: Sunrise & Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

I have only photographed Macquarie Lighthouse on one occasion. Unfortunately, on that morning, we didn’t get a great sunrise with a clear cloudless sky presenting itself. Most people would say that is a gorgeous start to the day but not us landscape photographers.

This experience might have clouded my judgement (sorry, yet another pun), but I didn’t find Macquarie Lighthouse to be that appealing as a photography location… 🤔

Macquarie lighthouse is positioned on top of Dunbar Head in Vaucluse, close to the entrance of Sydney Harbour. The lighthouse is quite large and, at a guess, would be the largest lighthouse on this list **. Like other lighthouses, it is also coloured in the traditional white with blue trim.

There is ample room around the lighthouse to find a composition that you like, as it is situated in a large clearing. While this is great, it makes finding interesting compositions hard as there is little there but grass.

A small sandstone wall, depicted in the photo, runs through the reserve, and a path leads up to and away from the lighthouse. These elements add some visual interest to your images apart from the lighthouse itself.

Looking at photos of Macquarie Lighthouse online, had I left the lighthouse grounds and looked for areas further along the precipice, I could have found a composition that excited me more.

* The Macquarie Lighthouse that you see in this photo was constructed back in 1883. There was a lighthouse in this area before this one. It was built in 1818 and was considered the first lighthouse in Australia. Unfortunately, this original lighthouse was constructed out of soft sandstone and eventually needed to be replaced with the lighthouse that you now see.

** Apparently, the largest lighthouse in New South Wales is Green Cape Lighthouse, located near the Victorian border.

Norah Head Lighthouse

A photo of Norah Head Lighthouse taken from Soliders Beach NSW

I didn’t share this photo of Norah Head Lighthouse, taken from Soldiers Beach, in my full location review of this lighthouse. This is my ‘okay’ photo I mention below, but I love Soldiers Beach as a photography location. There are many great opportunities to capture stunning photos from this spot, with the lighthouse on Norah Head in the distance. (HDR Image, Nikon D750, 68mm | April 2016 | Sunrise)

  • My Rating: 8/10
  • Year Constructed: 1903
  • Best time to photograph: Sunrise & Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

Norah Head Lighthouse is a beautiful structure on New South Wales’s Central Coast. While I don’t think it is as large as the Macquarie Lighthouse, it is still significant and painted in the traditional white with blue trim.

When photographing Norah Head Lighthouse, you have a few options available to you. This will depend on the time you visit, weather conditions or simply how you would like to photograph Norah Head Lighthouse.

You can photograph Norah Head Lighthouse up close. From this position, you can incorporate elements like the long path that leads from the beautifully maintained lighthouse keeper’s cottages, down past the lighthouse, to the top of the stairs that lead down to the beach.

There is also a large grassed area that is not always accessible, but if it is, it provides lots of open space to move around and compose your photos.

The other area in which to photograph Norah Head Lighthouse is from the beach below. Potentially best visited at sunset, there are many amazing rock pools, beach rocks and other elements that you can use to fill up the foreground of your photos. These details add further visual interest to your compositions while photographing back up towards the lighthouse on the headland.

Something I didn’t mention in my full photography location review of Norah Head Lighthouse is that another great spot to capture this lighthouse from is Soldiers Beach.

I am yet to get a good photo of Norah Head Lighthouse from this location; I have an okay one. But I am in awe of this spot for its potential! 🤩

When you arrive at Soldiers Beach, you park on the headland, step out of your car, and have an incredible view from this position, over the beach and towards Norah Head Lighthouse in the distance.

On the beach below is a fantastic spot to set up your camera and tripod. There is a rock shelf on which I have seen many beautiful photos taken that capture Norah Head Lighthouse in the distance. I have yet to replicate an image like this as I didn’t check the tides when I visited recently, and it was up relatively high and angry looking.

So on that point, you need to be cautious of your surroundings and only go during low tide if you want to photograph Norah Head Lighthouse from Soldiers Beach.

Norah Head Lighthouse, Location Review

Barrenjoey Lighthouse

A photo of Barrenjoey Lighthouse in Palm Beach

I love how Barrenjoey Lighthouse has been left raw and not painted like many other lighthouses in NSW. It makes this lighthouse quite unique in that aspect, and it looks stunning in photos. Barrenjoey Lighthouse is certainly worth the trek up to see it! (HDR Image, Nikon D300s, 14mm | January 2013 | Sunrise)

  • My Rating: 8/10
  • Year Constructed: 1881
  • Best to photograph: Sunrise & Night-time
  • Google Map: Link

Barrenjoey Lighthouse is unlike any of the other lighthouses I have photographed in NSW in its appearance. That is not to say that it doesn’t look like a lighthouse. It’s the sandstone material that this structure has been constructed with, which has been left raw and unpainted.

And I love this look! 😍

Barrenjoey Lighthouse is beautiful and is a great place to photograph. It is made a little easier to photograph by the small grassed area where you can set up your tripod, move around a little, and capture the lighthouse up close.

I have also seen some fantastic night-time photos taken of Barrenjoey Lighthouse with stars and even the Milky Way positioned high above. This technique is something that I would love to attempt and might be something that is of interest to you as well.

The only downfall with Barrenjoey Lighthouse is that it is not the most accessible location on this list. I probably would rate Barrenjoey Lighthouse a nine or higher if it were a little easier for people to get to and photograph.

However, that might remove some of this location’s beauty and your reward for making an effort to walk up the headland to see it.

That said, there are a couple of different walking tracks that lead up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse that range in difficulty. These alternate tracks could be worth investigating further if you plan to visit this stunning area.

Tacking Point Lighthouse

A photo of Tacking Point Lighthouse taken from the beach below

I am finding that with lighthouses, while it is fun to photograph them up close, it is just as fun to photograph them from below to give a perspective and incorporate the beautiful coastline that they are built upon. Tacking Point Lighthouse at Port Macquarie is a great example of this. The beach rock formations that can be found in the little bay below are spectacular! (HDR Image | Sunrise | November 2022)

  • My Rating: 9/10
  • Year Constructed: 1879
  • Best time to photograph: Sunrise & Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

I have visited Tacking Point Lighthouse twice and have written a full review on this location for this website. Even still, I would love to go back and photograph this lighthouse some more.

Tacking Point Lighthouse is a cute little lighthouse that can be found just outside of the central area of Port Macquarie. It is quite an easy lighthouse to get to, given the small car park that is located close by and a short path leading up to it.

When photographing Tacking Point Lighthouse, there are a couple of areas that you might consider investigating.

The first and most apparent position is directly next to the lighthouse on the headland. This is a great spot to take a photo and capture that iconic Tacking Point Lighthouse photo. However, I do find the area around the lighthouse a little restricted. So a wide-angle lens is a must!

The beach below is the other place to photograph Tacking Point Lighthouse. Here you have a small bay which I really enjoyed exploring with my camera. There are beautiful rock formations to be found here, and the natural curve of this area makes composing your photos with the lighthouse up on the headland relatively easy.

As you can see, I gave Tacking Point Lighthouse a high score of 9 out of 10 and certainly recommend stopping there if you are ever in the Port Macquarie area.

Tacking Point Lighthouse, Location Review

Hornby Lighthouse

A photo of Hornby Lighthouse in Watsons Bay

With its red and white stripes, I feel Hornby Lighthouse in Watsons Bay is the most photogenic lighthouse in New South Wales! As a landscape photographer, it has everything that you could want. It has loads of character, is located in a beautiful position on South Heads, and is close to Sydney. It is a spectacular lighthouse to photograph, and I highly recommend you grab your camera and visit! (HDR Image, Nikon D300s, 18mm | October 2012, Sunrise)

  • My Rating: 9/10
  • Year Constructed: 1858
  • Best time to photograph: Sunrise & Sunset
  • Google Map: Link

I believe Hornby Lighthouse to be the best lighthouse to photograph in New South Wales! 🙂

I have only photographed Hornby Lighthouse once, and it was only a short time after I developed a passion for landscape photography. This was back in 2011, and I remember, at the time, being very proud of the images that I had captured.

Hornby Lighthouse is probably one of the most photographed lighthouses in NSW due to its red and white strips that run vertically around its circumference. This feature makes it quite unique in appearance to many of the more traditional white with-a-blue trim lighthouses you get accustomed to seeing in New South Wales.

Hornby Lighthouse is also positioned in a picturesque location, sitting atop the headland at South Head and overlooking Port Jackson and Sydney Habour. Its positioning provides a few options for how you work the surrounding scene into your compositions. One of the more popular compositions is to position Hornby Lighthouse to the left and display the rockface that it sits atop, with the waters of Sydney Harbour running through the image from right to left.

Of all of the lighthouses in NSW that appear on this list, I would very much like to go back and photograph Hornby Lighthouse again. It could very well be one of the best photography locations in Sydney!

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Photographing more lighthouses in NSW

I am certainly excited to get out and explore the many other lighthouses this magnificent state offers. When digging a little deeper into this topic, there is a helpful Wikipedia page titled, ‘List of lighthouses in Australia’. Here, I counted 37 lighthouses in New South Wales.

So I am looking forward to photographing more of the lighthouses in New South Wales, like the Wollongong Head Lighthouse, South Solitary Island Lighthouse and Point Perpendicular Lighthouse, to name just a few.

Plus, you may have noticed that I have only managed to visit most of the lighthouses on this list on one occasion. Returning and capturing even better photos of these beautiful coastal structures would be great.

If you would like to stay up-to-date with that journey, please join my email newsletter, in which I share the locations I have been to each month.

Alternatively, if you would like to share any photos that you have taken of lighthouses in New South Wales, make sure to hop over to share I have shared this post on the ‘Grab Your Camera, Facebook page’. I would love to see your photos and continue this discussion there.

I hope that you have found this article to be helpful!

Thanks,
Rob Potter