Barrenjoey Lighthouse is a heritage sandstone lighthouse crowning the northern tip of Palm Beach in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park — one of Sydney's great northern beaches walks. There's no driving up: you earn the 360-degree views over Broken Bay, Pittwater and the Pacific on foot, on a short but properly steep climb that suits school-aged kids with a bit of puff in them.

Why We Love It

• Two ways up, so you can mix it — the gentle Access Trail (a wide, gradual 1km grind) or the steep Smugglers Track with its sandstone stairs. Climb the stairs and float back down the easy way, or the reverse if little legs are flagging.

• A real summit payoff — the headland sits 91m up with views across Broken Bay, Pittwater, the Central Coast and the open ocean, plus the 1881 lighthouse and original keepers' cottages in bare sandstone.

• Whale spotting in season — from roughly May to August the headland is a front-row seat for migrating humpbacks. Pack binoculars and make it the reason for the climb.

• A short walk that feels like an adventure — the sand crossing at the start, the climb through bush, and the lighthouse at the top give primary-aged kids a proper sense of expedition for about 30 minutes each way.

• You can peek inside on Sundays — the lighthouse interior opens for short guided tours, where kids climb the winding stairs and hear what life was like for a 19th-century keeper.