I love La Perouse and its incredible scenery so I was delighted to return in my quest to photography the Henry Head lighthouse. I had such a lovely day out.
The Watchtower
The Macquarie Watchtower is one of the most distinctive historic structures on the La Perouse headland. Built in 1822 from local sandstone, the small octagonal tower originally accommodated soldiers who watched arriving ships and attempted to prevent smuggling through Botany Bay. It was later used as a customs outstation, as well as serving at different times as a school and caretaker’s residence. With its castellated parapet and commanding position above the bay, it resembles a miniature fort and is believed to be the oldest surviving sandstone tower building in Australia.
Bare Island and bridge
Bare Island is a small sandstone islet dominated by a nineteenth-century fort built during the 1880s to defend the entrance to Botany Bay—then regarded as Sydney’s vulnerable “back door.” Its gun emplacements, tunnels and barracks survive as an unusually intact example of colonial coastal-defence engineering, while the island later served as Australia’s first war veterans’ home. Connecting it to the headland is a wonderfully photogenic timber bridge, constructed in 1887 and stretching approximately 110 metres across the water. The long, narrow bridge leading towards the weathered fort creates one of the most distinctive and atmospheric views in this part of Sydney.
Start of the walk
Henry Head Lighthouse
Henry Head Lighthouse, also known as the Endeavour Light, is a modest but striking white beacon overlooking the northern entrance to Botany Bay. Built in 1955, it was automated from the beginning and never required a resident lighthouse keeper. Its appeal lies as much in its wild coastal setting as in the structure itself, surrounded by heathland, sandstone cliffs and expansive ocean views. The nearby remains of the Henry Head Battery add another layer of history, linking this peaceful headland with Sydney’s former coastal defences.
Sydney coastal defences
Beside the lighthouse are the remains of the Henry Head Battery, part of Sydney’s once-extensive coastal defence network. Constructed between 1892 and 1895 to guard the entrance to Botany Bay, the fortification originally contained two large “disappearing guns,” which rose above their protective emplacements to fire before dropping back out of sight. The battery became obsolete and was decommissioned in 1910, but the site was brought back into service during the Second World War, when new guns, observation posts and defensive positions were installed. Its surviving concrete emplacements, underground ammunition rooms and tunnels are atmospheric reminders of a time when Sydney’s coastline was heavily fortified against the possibility of attack.
Continuation of the walk
