Cape Otway accommodation and locality information.

Cape Otway Standing sentinel over the great Southern Ocean for the last 150 years, the historic lighthouse at Cape Otway has born silent witness to great sea-faring dramas and shipwrecks, as well as the evolution of this beautiful promontory at the foot of the Otway Ranges. Built to aid sailing ships in their passage through the 86 km “eye of the needle” between Cape Otway and King Island, the lighthouse today endures, tall and proud, as a popular tourist attraction.

The Cape itself has a distinct ecology, with the tall Otway eucalypt forest replaced by the wonderfully gnarled and twisted manna gums, messmates and other smaller flora that thrive in the rolling sand-hill country.

Bird and animal life is prolific with parrots, whistlers, kookaburras, owls, ocean birds, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, kangaroos, possums and platypus finding a haven in the relative isolation of the Cape.

The beaches too, are among the most spectacular along the coast. Station beach, to the West, with the magic Rainbow Waterfalls cascading onto the sands is particularly lovely, though not easily accessible. To the East Parker River, Point Franklin and Blanket Bay, with its excellent campground, provide more convenient access.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the chance to experience a history of the Cape that is far older and deeper than the last 150 years. A history of time when dinosaurs roamed the land; a history of time when the Katabanut Aboriginal people dwelt in peace and abundance on the land. A sad history of greed and murder.

Feel it in the earth, hear it on the wind, watch the eternal stellar spectacle that lights the night sky. And know the uniqueness of Cape Otway.