1400 other public buildings in the Colony, but Norah Head was the last to be built in his classical style.

The building was the third to be constructed using new standardised building techniques for remote lightstations. Some credit these new practices for paving the way for the construction of other remote lights around Australia.

Barnet modelled the lightstation on the first Macquarie Lighthouse at South Head, Sydney. He designed the building with the idea of using pre-cast concrete blocks made on-site and local aggregate. Hallmarks of his design can also be seen in the tiled floors, bluestone balcony and gunmetal railings.

Construction of the Lighthouse building was started on the 26th February 1901 by day labour and the Public Works Department, under the direction of C.W. Darley and C.A. Harding. Thebuilding was completed in 1903 at a cost of about 24,000 pounds (19,000 for all buildings and 5,000 for the optics).

The Lighthouse was opened on 15th November 1903 by the Department of Harbours and Rivers Superintendent. Also in attendance were the Principal Engineer and Branch Officer, the Public Works Department Architect, Photographer and Inspector. The light was first illuminated at 7.10 p.m. pm the 15th November and the first keepers were W.H. Williams (Principal Keeper), H. Hanson (1st Assistant) and Soloman Kells (2nd Assistant).

A vaporised kerosene burner and mantle illuminated the Norah Head beam from a focal plane of 46m above high water. The light emitted 118,000 candlepower and in clear weather it could be seen 18 nautical miles out to sea.

In 1910, the light was upgraded with