Barrenjoey Lighthouse, Palm Beach, NSW

Long weekends in Australia are few and far in between, therefore when a long weekend rolls around, we always want to make the most of it. We didn't have much planned this Queen's Birthday long weekend (note: the Queen of England's birthday is actually on 21 April) as I was working late Friday night and most of Saturday. Thankfully, the project deployment went well which allowed me to enjoy the remaining two days with my family.

We had awesome weather earlier today, woke up to temperature at 12C and sunny. We decided to take a drive to Palm Beach in the Northern Beaches to walk up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. The lighthouse sits on the most northern point of Sydney, on Barrenjoey Head. It is about 91m above sea level and there are several walks to get to the summit. We parked the car at the Governor Philip Park and walk towards the beach and onto the Smuggler's Track. The hike takes about 20 minutes on a slightly steep and rocky track. It's probably a medium grade, and not pram or wheelchair friendly. The track was muddy in various spots due to the recent rains.

The view at the top is simply stunning and breathtaking. We kept a lookout for any whales who migrate north in the winter. There have been reports of whale sightings from the top.

Highly recommend as a spot to bring your visitors. On the way back, you can head to Palm Beach Jetty to catch the ferry to The Basin or Mackerel Beach. Another great thing to do as a day trip with the family.

If you're hungry, you have a few choices to take in a meal - Barrenjoey House, The Greedy Goat, Dunes Restaurant and Kiosk or Jonah's at Whale Beach.