You could not call it majestic or grand in its design, but a lighthouse is a lighthouse. While it doesn't get the crowds like Byron Bay, the Richmond River lighthouse still harks back to a different era.

Looking up the coast form the headland

Located on the small headland between Lighthouse and Shelly beaches in Ballina, the Richmond River lighthouse still has that iconic look. With bright white walls that always seem to gleam in on a sunny Northern Rivers day, it is the perfect contrast to the deep green of the surrounding parkland and the rolling blue of the ocean. While a good photographer could make the light house look grand in perspective, at only 6 meters tall, it is actually a very small building. Far from the romantic images of tall light houses fighting off oceans storms.

Built in 1866, it was used to direct boats into the Ballina Port. It was converted to automatic operation in 1928, but I don't know when it stopped doing it's lighthouse duties. Maybe when it was added to the National Estate database in 1983. Do you know anything about this local icon? Have you ever been to visit the Richmond River lighthouse? Let us know and we can share your story with others in the Northern Rivers.

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