Crowdy Head Lighthouse
Panoramic Views
Crowdy Head Lighthouse was erected in 1878 on Crowdy Head to serve the mouth of the Manning River, together with a pilot station at nearby Harrington. The pilot station was established in 1860 to help ships navigate the entrance of the river with cargoes of timber, livestock and limestone and was in operation until the 1960s when, as shipping declined, it was no longer needed.
The Crowdy Head Lighthouse was the last of a series of small lighthouses designed by James Barnett and the same design as the Tacking Point Lighthouse at Port Macquarie. On a clear night you can see Tacking Point light from here.
The panoramic views stretch from Diamond Head and the Three Brothers mountains (south, middle, and north), to the north and as far as Seal Rocks to the south. The lighthouse is still active today and flashes every 10 seconds. Sitting 61m above sea level the Crowdy Head tower is made of stone and painted white. It was originally manned by one lightkeeper and the original Light house keeper’s residence was located next to the lighthouse, you can still see the footings.
The original light source was a two wick burner which had a range of 12 nautical in clear weather. In 1928 it was converted to automatic acetylene which didn’t require the keeper anymore, and in 1972 it was converted to mains electricity. Earlier this year it was converted to a fixed high intensity LED beacon.
The lighthouse reserve is a perfect spot to do some whale watching. The best months to look out for these majestic creatures is May – July as they head north to warmer waters and August – October as they migrate south again to feed.
