Tacking Point Lighthouse
North Coast, NSW
Australia's thirteenth-oldest lighthouse on a whale-watching headland 8 km south of Port Macquarie.
About this place
Tacking Point Light was built in 1879 by Shepherd and Joseph Mortley to a James Barnet design, an 8 m rendered-brick tower with a 34 m focal plane and 16-nautical-mile range. It sits on the rocky headland south of Port Macquarie, now a popular coastal lookout with a sealed access boardwalk, viewing platforms and seating around the base; the tower itself is not open to climb. Humpbacks pass close in (May-November) and the coastal walk links toward Lighthouse Beach. Park on Lighthouse Road and stay behind barriers on the cliffs.
Access & getting there
Sealed road about 8 km south of Port Macquarie CBD. Headland reserve is open year-round. No public access inside the tower. Council boardwalk and viewing platforms around the base.
Lighthouse Rd, Tacking Point, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
Safety notes
Unfenced cliffs beyond the platforms. Stay on the boardwalk. Strong wind on the headland.
Gear notes
Binoculars for whales. Windproof layer.
On the map
Community photos
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Events nearby
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Connected challenges
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