Chances are if you live in Sydney you have done the Palm Beach Lighthouse walk. It’s as beautiful as it is famous and last month when we were there half of Sydney was visiting too.
If you haven’t paid a trip up Palm Beach and done the relatively easy walk up to the Lighthouse then it’s definitely something to put on your to do list.
With two options to walk it makes it suitable for a variety of different walkers. You can do it with kids or without, with a group of friends or as a solo explorer.
Here are the ins and outs of the walk and what you need to know to get there and maximize your visit.
Palm Beach Lighthouse walk
Just so there is no confusion Palm Beach Lighthouse Walk is not the actual name of the walk or the lighthouse.
The actual name of the lighthouse is Barrenjoey Lighthouse as it stands on the Barrenjoey Head of Palm Beach. Built it 1881 from sandstone from the site, it’s a historic attraction to boot with the lighthouse, its oil room and keeper’s cottages remaining in their original stone. You can also pay your respects to the Lighthouse’s first keeper who rests there, having been hit by lightening 4 years into the job.
The two walks are The Access Trail and Smugglers Track. I’ll set out a bit of information about them both below. They both start from the same place and end up on the same piece of headland so you could use them as a circuit.
Where is the Palm Beach Lighthouse Walk
Where is Palm Beach?
Let’s start with the basics – Palm Beach. Palm Beach is the northern most tip of Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It lies 41kms from Sydney City.
Palm Beach is in part famous for being where the Australian show “Home and Away” is filmed.
Where is the lighthouse?
The lighthouse sits on Barrenjoey Head which the is north edge of Palm Beach.
While the head falls within Kindy-ring-gai Chase National Park you drive through Governor Phillip Park and past the Boat House to get there.
The two walks both to the lighthouse start at the car park at the bottom of the head after Governor Phillip Park.
Actual address
The actual address for the lighthouse is 1199D Barrenjoey Road, Palm Beach.
Parking
If you have asked me at the beginning of the year what parking is like I would have said “plenty”. On our past visits we’ve always been able to find a parking but now with so many people out walking you may have to park an the entry to Governor Phillip Park as soon as you turn off Beach Road.
I would say drive along Barrenjoey, through Governor Phillip Park until you get to the last car park and try find a parking there first. If you can’t find a parking then turn back to one of the earlier car parks.
It is paid parking unless you have a Northern Beaches parking sticker.
The two Palm Beach Lighthouse Walks
The beauty about the walk is not only in the walk itself and the lighthouse at the top but the magnificent views, there is water all around you as you’re out on a headland. It’s so beautiful to get an almost aerial view of so many bodies of water converging.
As you are climbing up, look back and you’ll find Palm Beach in the East, to your left and Pittwater in the West, to your right. At the top, looking North, you get stunning views over Broken Bay, you’ll be able to see all the various parts of the Central Coast.
The only problem with such beautiful views is that it attracts reckless selfie hunters all looking for a picture of themselves against the backdrop. You’ll see people perched precariously over rocks as far out as possible. It makes me really nervous to watch some of these antics!
The path to the start of both walks
As I said there are two walks that both start in the car park. From the car park head down onto the sand (the Pittwater Shore) and to right to head in the direction of the lighthouse.
Keep walking along the sand until you see a pathway on your right signposted as Barrenjoey Headland. If you hit the rocks you’ve gone too far.
Just beyond that sign (walking away from the water) you’ll find where the path splits into the two walks.
The easier Access Trail goes left and the Smugglers Track goes straight up. You could walk up the one and then come down the other, making it like a circuit.
Access Trail
The Access Trail is 800m and Grade 2 for all you authentic walkers out there. I am not one, so I don’t know what Grade 2 means at all!
We decided to walk up this one because it is more of a road, paved in certain areas and generally a flatter gradient. Although it does get steep in parts so there were the odd complaints from our kiddies.
I still felt like we were out for a proper exploration despite not having taken the Smugglers Track.
This is the walk I would do if your kids are younger than 5.
Smugglers Track
This track is shorter so much steeper, here you are climbing up narrow “stairs” and over rocks. It also has some sandy bits
Smugglers Track is 400m and Grade 3.
It is also really in the thick of the bush whereas with the Access Trail there is a bit more space to move around.
Important Information
- Don’t visit on a windy day, it’s awful.
- Don’t visit if it’s raining, the walks then get slippery. I would also avoid it for a few days after heavy rains too for the same reason.
- Take water bottles, there is no water up top.
- If you want to do a tour, check if it’s open and take cash.
- Go to the bathroom at the bottom of the hill (start of the walk) there are none on top.
- Go during the week if you can or when the Covid outdoor exploration craze lifts.
Top Tip: if you’re visiting between May and September take binoculars and try spot some whales.
Lighthouse Tours
There are guided lighthouse tours every Sunday between 11am and 3pm which is the only way to see inside the lighthouse.
The tours themselves do have a minor charge and they only accept cash last time I knew. Maybe post Covid that will change.
Unfortunately at the time of writing this they are closed. Due to Covid.
If you’re in the neighbourhood, pop into Palm Beach Boathouse for a bite to eat.
