Hornby Lighthouse at South Head

Following the loss of two ships in 1857, the Dunbar and the Catherine Adamson it was recommended by a committee of the Light, Pilot & Navigation Board for a lighthouse to be constructed on South Head to warn ships of the rocks at the harbour entrance.

Hornby Lighthouse was designed by Alexander Dawson and built in 1858 and was named after Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby of the Royal Navy, the father-in-law of Governor Denison.  It is 9.1m tall, built of local sandstone and is the third oldest in NSW and has been a guiding light on the harbour and keeping ships safe ever since.

In 1857, 122 people drowned when the clipper ship Dunbar was shipwrecked at South Head during a tremendous gale, only one crew member, James Johnson, survived.  Two months later another ship, the Catherine Adamson, ran aground off North Head with the loss of 21 lives.  To prevent further shipping tragedies the Hornby Lighthouse was constructed on South Head to assist navigation through the Heads.

The lighthouse was painted in red and white stripes to distinguish it from the Macquarie Lighthouse just 2 km south.

The Hornby Light is an essential navigational aid and part of a network of buoys and navigational lights maintained by the Ports Authority of NSW Corporation.

In January 2023 it was formally added to the State Heritage Register.

Elizabeth O’Connor.

References:    Ports Authority of NSW;   “ The Shipwreck” by Larry Writer.