Lighthouses of Sydney

Mint Unhinged Set of 3 Stamps

Release date: 23 October 2018

The lighthouses positioned around Sydney, New South Wales, along the coast and within Sydney Harbour, play a central role in ensuring safe navigation in and around harbour and the Port of Sydney.

This stamp issue presents eye-catching photographs of Macquarie (1883), Hornby (1858) and Robertsons Point (1910). These Sydney lighthouses are included on various heritage registers (state and commonwealth), due to both their historical importance and the fact that they are still in use as a navigational device.

The stamp issue is timed to coincide with 200 years since Australia’s first lighthouse was turned on for the first time – the original Macquarie Lighthouse of 1818. Read more about the lighthouses and their history in our post, 

The stamps

The stamps, designed by Jo Muré of the Australia Post Design Studio, present a striking photograph of each lighthouse, taken during low-light hours, with a glimpse of the surrounding terrain.

$1  Hornby Lighthouse, Inner South Head, NSW

Hornby Lighthouse (1858), with its distinctive vertical red and white stripes, stands high up at Inner South Head, near Watsons Bay, Sydney. Hornby is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses in Australia. It was constructed after the public outcry following two maritime disasters in the area in 1857. Until it was built, the original Macquarie Lighthouse on Outer South Head was the only other lighthouse in the area.

$1  Robertsons Point Lighthouse, Cremorne Point, NSW

Roberstons Point Lighthouse is located in Cremorne Point, a harbour-side suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney. Positioned in the shores of Sydney Harbour, it’s connected to the shore by a short timber walkway. Its eight-metre-high, mains-powered tower is an early example of the use of reinforced concrete in Australian lighthouse construction. It has a distinctive blinking green light, which flashes at three-second intervals.

$1  Macquarie Lighthouse, Outer South Head, NSW

The construction of the 1883 Macquarie Lighthouse was necessitated by the fact that the original Macquarie Lighthouse (1818) had begun to disintegrate. Tours of the lighthouse are run by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and the grounds can be accessed year-round as part of Sydney’s Great Coastal Walk.