Aha! So this old structure was not the original light. This Barranjoey Lighthouse was actually the third light on the headland and was completed in 1881.
The customs station below had been established in 1843. The first report of any light on the headland was in 1855 when a fire was raised in a basket
to assist mariners during stormy weather. Later, in 1868, two largely wooden lighthouses known as the Stewart Towers, were built at either end of the
headland, to guide ships in. The present sandstone structure was the response to a need for a more permanent facility.