Watsons Bay Things to Do

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Even if you're not trying to throw yourself off the cliffs (rumor has it it's famous for that) I highly recommend a climb out to south head and then down to the light house south of the area. If you want a truly "Ahhhh" moments; these views will do it for you.

Every trip I've made to Sydney has included a ferry to Watsons Bay to enjoy the views. It is a must see when in Sydney.

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The Dunbar was a full-rigged ship that was wrecked in 1857. The Dunvar's Captain, James Green mistook the Gap for the entrance to Sydney Harbour due to heavy rain and wind. He crahed the ship onto the rocks. The ship broke up due to the force of the winds and 121 lives were lost.

All that remains of the Dunbar is the anchor which is in memorial to those who lost their lives on the night of August 20, 1857.

Our last visit to Watsons Bay in 2010; we took a long walk. One of the points of interest along our walk was the Macquarie Lighthouse. The big white structure juts out from the landscape; so white against the deep blue of the sky.

The Macquarie Lighthouse was the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. The current lighthouse was built in 1883. In 1976 the lighthouse was finally automated which eliminated the need for a keeper.

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The two times Liz and I were in Watsons Bay during our trip we enjoyed a nice stroll along the beach. It was a quiet and peaceful walk. There were some nice benches and we enjoyed stopping and taking in the views and people watching. It's amazing how time seems to stop during some moments in life...

The Signal Station at Watsons Bay marks the site of over 200 years of continuous service. With continued use since it was installed iand is the oldest facility in Australia.

Signal Station was established in 1790 as a lookout post at South Head. It would serve as well as a landmark for ships which were arriving at the heads and also serve as a way of communicating their arrival to the new settlement at Sydney Cove.

The Gap is a spectacular ocean cliff at Watsons Bay which is located near South Head in Sydney. There is a coastal walk which provides for some amazing views of the ocean and of the Gap itslef.

It is estimated that over 50 suicides take place here at The Gap every year.

Macquarie Lighthouse is Australia's first lighthouse. The original structure which was erected in 1791 was undertaken by Francis Greenway, the famous convict Architect, who is also responsbile for a number of other structures in Sydney.

A new lighthouse was erected in 1881 after the original deteriorated. The new structure was designed by James Barnet and is a replica of the original tower.

The lighthouse was fully automated in 1976 and the keepers were eventually withdrawn in 1989.

There is a gully referred to as the "cleft" in the rocks at Jacob’s Ladder and is the remains of a long extinct colonic dyke.

If you take a good look, the lower part of this gully shelters many species of trees like the tall spreading figs, cabbage palms, tree ferns and lianes. It is a contrast to the types of trees you will find at the cliff top.

There is well opver 70 different species of native plants survive in this park.

In order to appreciate Watsons Bay I would recommend walking one of the two paths from the wharf. Each of the paths require about an hour.

The walks go either north past Lady Bay (there is a nude beach here) to South Head for a glimpse at the Hornsby Lighthouse, or walk south passing The Gap and take in Signal Station and Macquarie Lighthouse. You can also see the wreck of Dunbar.