One of the most beautiful bushwalks in Sydney is the walk from Palm Beach to Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
The lighthouse sits at the most northern point of Sydney, 91 metres above sea level.
Although it is not a long walk to get to the lighthouse, the 360 degree views from the top are absolutely spectacular!
From the top of the headland you look out over the Pacific Ocean, Pittwater and all the way up to the Central Coast, not to mention getting a close up view of a very cute lighthouse!
How to get there:
If you are driving, park your car at the North Palm Beach parking lot.
If you are catching the bus, you’ll need to get off at the Palm Beach Golf Club stop and walk north along Barrenjoey Beach.
From the carpark, walk out onto Station Beach and along the beach until you get to the Barrenjoey Headland walk sign.
Two Routes to the Lighthouse:
There are two paths that you can take: the Access Trail and the Smugglers Track.
We chose the Access Trail on the way up and the Smugglers Track on the way back.
The Access trail is longer (at 800m each way) but it is not as steep and is rated as a grade 2. It has a proper path, so I think you’d be ok with a stroller, but it is still a pretty big climb up (see pic).
We also thought that the views from the Access trail were better than the Smugglers Track.
The Smugglers Track is a 400m one-way walk, but it is rated as a grade 3 and you are pretty much just climbing stairs the whole way to the top.
The name comes from customs officers who built the track to monitor smugglers bringing contraband into Broken Bay back in the 1800s.
The beautiful lighthouse was built here in 1881 from sandstone which was quarried at the site.
Its location at the headland provides an incredible spot for whale watching during their migration season, between May and September.
Although they’re both short walks, because of the incline, you do need a moderate level of fitness.
We recommend wearing proper walking shoes, however we saw people in thongs and even bare feet! But you are walking through bushland, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t forget water, a hat and sunscreen. Even in winter we got very warm and many parts of the walks are exposed to the sun (especially at the top where the lighthouse is).
There are toilets at the carpark and also up at the lighthouse, but none along the way.
On Sundays the National Parks people run guided tours of the lighthouse. Find out all the information here.