Nelson Head Light, Lighthouse on Nelson Head, Nelson Bay, Australia

Nelson Head Light is a cement-rendered brick cottage sitting directly on the southern shore of Port Stephens, combining living quarters with a working lighthouse station. An octagonal lantern room with a 3-meter window sits atop the roof and once held the light source that guided ships into the harbor.

The station was established in 1872 with four kerosene lamps shown from a wooden tower. The current cottage was built three years later, and the light was first shown from it in 1876 through a 3-metre window in an octagonal lantern room attached to the house. Fourteen successive resident keepers occupied the house until 1985.

The cottage reflects the daily lives of keepers who lived and worked here with their families, maintaining constant watch over the harbor. Visitors can see how closely living spaces and work duties were intertwined in this isolated location.

The cottage is reached by road from Nelson Bay and is open daily to visitors. It now serves as a maritime museum, run by Marine Rescue NSW under the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol. The light itself was switched off in early 2003, so there is no working beacon to see.

The light was never in a tower: from 1876 it shone through a 3-metre window of an octagonal lantern room attached to the cottage, and in 1995 a solar-powered lantern was fixed outside that room. It was switched off in early 2003.