Nobbys Head

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Nobbys Head, also known as Whibayganba, is a headland at the southern entrance to Newcastle Harbour in New South Wales, Australia. It sits above the Hunter River and the Tasman Sea. The Awabakal people call it Whibayganba and it features in their stories. Europeans once called the place Coal Island and later Nobbys Island.

A stone pier, Macquarie Pier, links Nobbys to the mainland. Work started in 1818 and the pier was finished in 1846. Over time the breakwater and sand created Nobbys Beach. In the 1850s convicts tunneled into Nobbys Tuff as part of efforts related to the island. Nobbys Head Lighthouse sits on the headland and is the third lighthouse built in New South Wales. The lighthouse is also shown on Newcastle’s coat of arms.

The City of Newcastle acknowledges the Awabakal and Worimi as the traditional custodians of the land, including Nobbys Head. Key dates include the foundation stone laid by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 5 August 1818 and the pier’s completion in 1846. In 1866 the breakwater was rebuilt with stone from Waratah. A plaque was placed in 2010, and a 2013 survey suggested a buried structure beneath the surface. In 2020, plans for the Macquarie Pier Revitalisation were announced to improve the path and add heritage features.

Nobbys Head was first seen by Europeans on 10 May 1770 when Captain James Cook sailed past. Coal was found nearby in 1797, boosting the area’s significance. The Signal Head navigational aid began in 1804, using coal light, briefly switching to oil in 1821, then back to coal. The height of Nobbys Head was once thought to be 62 m, but estimates in 2010 put it at about 43 m; it was reduced to around 27.5 m to prevent sails from losing wind as ships passed. Rock removed from the head was used to build the pier.