At the start of 2022, I visited Redhead Beach in Lake Macquarie on the East Coast of NSW several times with my camera. I went there hoping to capture some nice landscape photos of the old Shark Tower that I had seen in other people’s photos.

Redhead Beach quickly became a location that I fell in love with. This could be due to the simplicity of the location. Redhead is beautiful, easy to photograph and simple to get to.

People get down there early in the morning to make the most of the beautiful scenery. Not only are there photographers hoping to capture a stunning seascape, but many locals are there, braving the swells for a morning dip and many others are enjoying a coffee and a laugh at the cafe.

How to photograph Redhead Beach Shark Tower

In front of Redhead Surf Lifesaving Club, where the surf meets the sand, is a rickety old Skark tower perched high atop some large rocks. This is the main subject to photograph when visiting Redhead Beach and what initially drew me to this location.

I found, at times, composing the images with the tall Shark Tower easy if you kept in mind the simple rule of thirds. You could position the Shark Tower high on one side and something else on the other.

Other times, I found it a little more challenging to capture a composition that I knew was there. While simple, combining the shark tower, cliff, sun, rocks, swell, reflections, and a stray seagull that wouldn’t stand still can quickly become a full scene.

It is one of those locations where you can easily take a heap of photos of the same thing as you work to capture that perfect angle.

Other areas around Redhead Beach Shark Tower that you might like to try

Redhead Point above:

I believe that you can photograph the beach from above on the headland. According to Google maps, this is known as Redhead Point. While I have been meaning to explore this area to see if the photos from this position would be worthwhile, I haven’t yet.

The 9 miles of coastline:

Redhead Beach is located at the very top of a 9-mile stretch of coastline. This stretch is so long that it is actually made up of three beaches. These are Redhead Beach, Nine Mile Beach and Black Smiths Beach.

This means there is plenty of coastline to walk along and discover many new and interesting things to photograph.

The Shark Tower at Redhead Beach one foggy morning

The Shark Tower at Redhead Beach one foggy morning with sea foam covering the beach (HDR Image | Sunrise | 2022)

Camera gear you should take to Redhead Beach

A wide-angle lens:

This is another landscape photography location where I think you would benefit from leaving any zoom lenses at home and packing your wide-angle lenses. As I mentioned above, there is a lot to fill the frame of your camera, which means that you will need a wide-angle lens.

Gear in general:

If you read enough of my location reviews, you will notice that I am constantly recommending you wear a good pair of boots or shoes when visiting any photography location.

However, when visiting this location for the second time, the weather conditions were quite interesting, with thick fog and sea foam covering the water’s edge. I spied a fellow photographer in a pair of flip-flops. At that moment, I realised that thongs are the perfect footwear for this location. This is because you can get some nice reflections if you are willing to risk getting your feet wet.

Swimmers enjoying the water at Redhead Beach

I like this composition for the layers… You have the large beach rocks, then shark tower, then swimmers, then cliff face. It really is a nice location. (HDR Image | Sunrise | 2022)

The best time to visit Redhead Beach for photography

Sunrise:

The best time of the day to photograph this location is at sunrise. That way, the sun rises over the water and behind the shark tower.

High tide:

The first morning I visited Redhead Beach with my camera, it was nearing high tide, and I think that high tide suited this location. I say this because, at times, the water would run up the beach and encircle the rocks on which the shark tower is situated.

While I didn’t quite capture this in my photo, I think this composition would look amazing if the water completely encircled the rocks. This would make it appear that the shark tower is on some sort of rocky island, allowing for more interesting reflections and an excellent shot.

Getting to Redhead Beach Shark Tower

The old shark tower is located a short distance from Redhead Surf Life Saving Club, making it a very accessible photography location. And when I say a short distance, I mean 20 to 25 metres.

Redhead Beach is approximately a 25-minute drive from Newcastle or a 2-hour drive from the heart of Sydney. There is a large car park, so parking should not be a problem.

There is also a café at the bottom of the Surf Life Saving Club, Cargo Espresso Bar, which opens at 7 am. This means you don’t need to go anywhere else to stop and grab a coffee and some breakfast after you have worked up an appetite taking photos.

And I can certainly vouch for the coffee!

Final thoughts about photographing Redhead Beach

Out of 10, I would give Redhead Beach Shark Tower a 8. However, this may bump up slightly higher as I go back and further explore this location. It is undoubtedly a popular location with many local photographers, and I can see why.

Redhead Beach could quickly become my go-to photography location in the Newcastle / Lake Macquarie area when I just want to grab the camera and get out and about. I mean, who doesn’t love an old shark tower?!

I hope that this location review has been helpful.

Enjoy!