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| Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife |
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Barrenjoey Lighthouse Sydney
Colonial architect, James Barnet, designed Barrenjoey Lighthouse in 1873 as a pristine example of late Victorian sandstone architecture. More than 120 years later, in 1997 and 1998, the surrounding reserve, the lighthouse and the adjoining cottages became national parks estate. Barrenjoey Headland, Barrenjoey lighthouse and its cottages, tracks and lookouts have since become a popular destination for day-trippers from Sydney and local residents. The Foundation, with support from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, funded a heritage landscaping project to upgrade the site, remove weeds and improve tracks and lookouts. Representing over 150 years of occupation, Barrenjoey headland’s cultural landscape was enhanced by retaining native vegetation and flora, once prevalent during the light station’s period of human habitation. Extensive weeding work was essential to protect the fabric of the historic sandstone cottages and return the landscape to how it was early last century. The effort revealed the original landscape of grassed terraces flanked by sandstone, which had been hidden for years. The Heritage Landscape Plan for Barrenjoey Headland was prepared by Landscape Architects Phillips Marler and received a Merit Award from the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA). The Institute judging panel was particularly impressed by how the proposal addressed the management of a cultural item within a natural setting and how it showed a clear understanding of the concept of cultural landscape. |
