Watson's Bay

The opportunity to return to Watson's Bay presented itself as I was re uniting with a school friend I've known since Kindergarten.  I've visited Watson's Bay on numerous occasions but decided to leave home early and fit in a quick photoshoot before we were due to lunch together. The two lighthouses of course were on the agenda, as were the military bunkers. A tiny bit of research on the lighthouses of Australia site uncovered some interesting facts.

 "..............The Macquarie Lighthouse at South Head is Australia's first and longest operating navigational light with a flagstaff erected as a navigational aid in 1791, within one year of the First Fleet arriving to settle New South Wales. A wood and coal fired beacon, a basket on a tripod, was established in 1793 and was the only guiding light for the next 25 years.The construction of the current Macquarie Lighthouse was begun in 1881 and the light was first exhibited in 1883. It was designed by James Barnet and is a replica of the original tower completed in 1818 at the command of Governor Macquarie and designed in sandstone by the renowned convict architect Francis Greenway. Greenway emancipation for  his efforts and true to Greenway’s prediction the tower deteriorated due to the poor quality of the sandstone.  The existing tower was therefore built stronger in both materials and design. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1976 and the keepers were eventually withdrawn in 1989. Australia's first lighthouse keeper was Robert Watson. He was with the First Fleet as the Quartermaster on HMS Sirius and later Harbour Master at Sydney. Watson was already an old man and died within a year of his appointment. Nearby Watsons Bay was named to honour his memory............."

Hornby Lighthouse stands at South Head, near Watsons Bay in Sydney Harbour National Park. 

The iconic red and white striped tower is surrounded by views in three directions.  Sydney Harbour is to the west, Middle Head and North Head to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. This lighthouse was built in 1858 following the wrecking of the Dunbar at the foot of South Head. Designed by colonial architect Alexander Dawson, Hornby Lighthouse was the third lighthouse to be built in NSW. An Irish seaman, James Johnson, the sole survivor of the 122 on board was found that morning clinging to a ledge. His family was to go on and play a significant role in the manning of New South Wales lighthouses. Seventy years after the arrival of the First Fleet it was the third lighthouse to be built, after Macquarie and Nobbys Head. It was known as the Lower Light to distinguish it from the nearby Macquarie Lighthouse and designed by colonial architect, Alexander Dawson. There is a great guide by Lewis Fogarty for Hornby at Free Photo Guides.  I arrived too late for sunrise, the light was already too harsh and the sky a flat blue, not the best photographic conditions.