Light the way: Our ultimate guide to exploring Australia's 10 best lighthouses

At a towering 39 metres tall, Western Australia's Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is the tallest on the Australian mainland, and you can climb right to the top - if you dare. Situated at the most south-westerly point of the country, the structure was built by timber tycoons from local limestone in 1895 and was operated by a kerosene lantern until the 1980s. Take a guided tour and watch the waves crashing over the wild, rocky shoreline below. westernaustralia.com/au/attraction/cape-leeuwin-lighthouse

At the bottom of Flinders Range National Park on Kangaroo Island sits one of South Australia's most remote lighthouses, the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse. When constructed in the early 1900s, it was inaccessible by land, so materials were brought by boat to nearby Weirs Cove and hauled up via flying fox. Visit the lighthouse (but you can't go in) as part of a 40-minute hike with spectacular coastal-cliff top views. southaustralia.com/products/kangaroo-island/attraction/cape-du-couedic-lighthouse

Soap opera fans will recognise Barrenjoy Lighthouse at Sydney's Palm Beach from TV's Home and Away. Positioned 91 metres above sea level, it can be reached via a one-kilometre walking track and offers outstanding views. Have a squizz at the North Palm Beach SLSC (aka Summer Bay Surf Club) while you're in the area. sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-north/palm-beach/attractions/barrenjoey-lighthouse

The heritage-listed Corny Point Lighthouse at South Australia's Yorke Peninsula sits atop ancient rocks believed to be around 1800 million years old. Take the family: the kids will love hearing about the name Corny Point, coined by Captain Flinders in 1802 due to the fact that it looks like a growth on the toe of the Yorke Peninsula. There are surfing, swimming and fishing spots nearby. southaustralia.com/products/yorke-peninsula/attraction/corny-point-lighthouse

Cape Byron Lighthouse stands proud on the most easterly point of Australia's mainland, and its light can be seen from Byron Bay in northern NSW. Built at the turn of the 19^th century, the lighthouse was run by resident keepers until the 1980s. Learn more about its fascinating history in the Maritime Museum below, and bring your binoculars - there are regular sightings of turtles, dolphins and humpback whales from this iconic point. visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/byron-bay-area/byron-bay/attractions/cape-byron-lighthouse

Known by 1990s children around the country as the family home in the popular kids' TV series Round the Twist, this could be Australia's most-loved lighthouse. The show was set in fictional Port Niranda but the lighthouse used to film the series (the outside only - the inside was a TV set) was the Split Point Lighthouse at Airey's Inlet on the Shipwreck Coast of Victoria. Visitors can climb the cast-iron staircase on daily tours and find out about the rugged coastline where hundreds of ships have crashed. splitpointlighthouse.com.au

In 1987, the residents of Cooktown in Queensland were threatened with government decommissioning of their beloved Grassy Hill Lighthouse. Determined to save the historical facility and amid much media attention, a successful petition led to the lighthouse and the area around it being sold to the Cooktown people for $100 in 1988. Today, the area is one of Australia's most spectacular places to watch the sunset and sunrise, and the grounds are open year-round - though the tower is not open to the public. cooktownandcapeyork.com/go/cooktown/grassy-hill

The Cape Bruny Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in Tasmania open for tours and its history boasts shipwreck tragedies on nearby islands, convict hardship during construction, and a mysterious nearby graveyard for children (spooky!). The lighthouse was built in 1836 and stands a whopping 114 metres tall. Not for the faint-hearted. Bruny Island is accessible by passenger ferry from Kettering. parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/south-bruny-national-park/cape-bruny-lighthouse

Any craggy coastline is surely home to a lighthouse or two, and New Zealand has some spectacular coastlines and lighthouse specimens. In fact, Maritime New Zealand operates 23 lighthouses and 75 light beacons. Here are a couple of excellent options to visit.

Castlepoint Lighthouse: With its fossil-rich limestone reef, Castlepoint in Wellington is a region of breathtaking beauty and nature, and has a gorgeous lighthouse to boot. Climb the 172-metre Castle Rock nearby and see if you can spot dolphins and fur seals in the waves. Lighthouse Walk is a 30-minute return journey and you could see some rare flowers on the way, including the Castlepoint daisy, which grows on the crumbled limestone of the reef and also on Castle Rock. wellingtonnz.com/visit/trails/castlepoint-lighthouse-walk

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Cape Reinga Lighthouse: Situated on the top of the North Island, Cape Reinga Lighthouse is one of the first lights ships observe when arriving from the Tasman Sea and North Pacific Ocean. It was built in 1941 to replace the lighthouse on nearby Motuopao Island, after an assistant lighthouse keeper's wife was swept off the rocks near the former lighthouse at Cape Maria Van Diemen in 1933. Be ready for windy weather as the cape is very exposed. The area is a highly-significant place for Maori people and is steeped in fascinating local history. newzealand.com/au/cape-reinga

Pictures: Destination NSW; supplied; Visit Victoria