Question 1

Can I fish from the rocks directly below the lighthouse?

Accepted Answer

Some of the limestone platforms below the lighthouse are fishable from outside the Lighthouse Bay Sanctuary Zone, but the boundaries are not intuitive from the rocks. Shore-based fishing is permitted on Dunes Surf Beach and parts of Surfers Beach adjacent to the sanctuary zone, but the sanctuary itself is closed to all extractive activity. Pre-load the Marine Parks WA app and confirm your spot before casting.

Question 2

Is the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse open to climb?

Accepted Answer

No. The 1912 lighthouse is closed to the public — the structure is heritage-listed and there is an observation outpost with interpretive plaques at the carpark instead. The site is for access to the headland walking tracks, the lookout and the fishing platforms below, not the tower itself.

Question 3

What is the realistic land-based pelagic from the cliffs?

Accepted Answer

Spanish mackerel are the headline species September through April on float-rigged garfish from the deeper platforms. GTs and queenfish work the wash year-round on stickbaits and poppers. Longtail tuna show on inshore bust-ups in the warm-water window and you can occasionally cast into a school from the rocks. Sailfish and marlin pass within sight but are not realistic land-based targets.

Question 4

How does Lighthouse Bay differ from Tantabiddi?

Accepted Answer

Tantabiddi is the trailer-boat ramp into Ningaloo lagoon and the outer reef. Lighthouse Bay is the land-based cliff and beach fishery for anglers without a boat — same headland, same general fish, completely different access. Many trips combine both: boat days from Tantabiddi, shore sessions from the lighthouse on windy days when launching is off the cards.

Lighthouse Bay (Vlamingh Head Lighthouse / Surfers Beach / Limestone Platforms)