31-625: Hamelin Bay is a bay and a locality on the southwest coast of Western Australia between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste . It is named after French explorer Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin , who sailed through the area in about 1801. It is south of Cape Freycinet . To the north, the beach leads to the Boranup Sand Patch and further to the mouth of the Margaret River , while south leads to Cape Leeuwin . The nearest locality to
62-586: A number of whale strandings , some of which are listed below: Attempts to save the mammals have usually failed. In addition to concerns for the animals themselves, the strandings are considered to increase the risk of shark attack , due to the attraction of the dead whales. A light station on nearby Hamelin Island was built in 1937. In 1967 it was moved to the mainland, and is now known as Foul Bay Lighthouse . The M C Davies railway connected Hamelin Bay jetty with Karridale, Boranup, and Flinders Bay. In 1925
93-757: A spot on a granite outcrop near Flinders Bay which was excavated and reported on in 2021, revealing grooves and other signs that people ground stones to make tools here around 9,700 years ago. The coastline near the Augusta area was first sighted by Europeans in March 1622 when the Dutch East India Company ship Leeuwin (Lioness) mapped and named the land north of Cape Leeuwin between Hamelin Bay and Point D'Entrecasteaux ' t Landt van de Leeuwin . In 1801 Captain Matthew Flinders named
124-548: A timber mill at nearby Kudardup and the completion of jetties at Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay. Augusta was a stopping place on the Busselton to Flinders Bay branch railway (now converted into a walking and cycling trail named the Wadandi Track ), which was government run from the 1920s to the 1950s. Prior to that M. C. Davies had a timber railway system that went to both Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay jetties in
155-643: Is Flinders Bay , named after Matthew Flinders , the circumnavigating explorer of the early 19th century. Shipwrecks within sight of this location include SS Pericles , an iron-screw steamer built in Belfast in Northern Ireland , which sank after hitting an uncharted rock on a clear calm day in 1910. The wreck was found by Tom Snider in 1957 at 34°25.33′S 115°08.24′E / 34.42217°S 115.13733°E / -34.42217; 115.13733 ( SS Pericles ) . He dived on
186-572: Is in the name Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park . Another is in the use of the phrases Cape to Cape or the Capes in tourist promotional materials. A shore base and a ship of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Leeuwin after the cape. The Wardandi , an Aboriginal Australian people, were the first peoples in the area. They called it "Doogalup". The English navigator Matthew Flinders named Cape Leeuwin after
217-534: The Swan River had already been granted , and suggested that they form a new sub-colony in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin. The following month, Stirling sailed with a party of prospective settlers on board Emily Taylor . After arriving at the mouth of the Blackwood River, the party spent four days exploring the area. Stirling then confirmed his decision to establish a sub-colony, the settlers' property
248-623: The "south-western, and most projecting part of Leeuwin's Land" Cape Leeuwin. Augusta was founded in 1830. In March of that year, a number of settlers, including John Molloy and members of the Bussell and Turner families, had arrived at the Swan River Colony on board Warrior . On their arrival the Lieutenant-Governor Captain James Stirling advised them that most of the good land near
279-494: The 1890s. On 30 July 1986, a pod of 114 false killer whales became stranded at Town Beach, Augusta. In a three-day operation, co-ordinated by the Department of Conservation and Land Management , volunteers from around Western Australia, including forestry workers, wildlife officers, surfers and townsfolk, carried 96 of the whales on trucks to more sheltered waters. The surviving whales were then successfully guided out into
310-412: The 1950s the local camping area utilised the shells of a large number of decommissioned Perth trams . None remain, and in addition to unpowered and powered camp sites there are now a small number of on-site cabins and a handful of chalets with modern facilities. A number of camp sites have been removed to accommodate these structures. A shop and ablution blocks are located within the camping area. Due to
341-567: The Hamelin Bay Jetty, which was built in 1882 and extended in 1898. Only a few piles of the original jetty remain on site. The Cape to Cape Track runs across the beach to the west of the town, making Hamelin Bay one of the few settlements located along the track. Although most of the adjacent land is now vested in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park , small amounts of land nearby are freehold. In
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#1732791046807372-542: The Southern Ocean exists only south of 60°S . Located on headland of the cape is the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and the buildings that were used by the lighthouse -keepers. Cape Leeuwin is considered one of the three " great capes " of the world. Cape Leeuwin is often grouped with the next headland north, Cape Naturaliste , to identify the geography and ecology of the region. One example
403-408: The anchorage when prevailing weather is not a problem. The Western Australian Museum 's database of wrecks includes numerous vessels that foundered in or near Hamelin Bay. An anchor from one of the wrecks was retrieved and is now situated in the beach car park at Hamelin Bay. The storm of 22 July 1900 was a serious event at Hamelin. Wrecks include: Hamelin Bay and environs have been the site of
434-487: The bay, flanked by a flotilla of boats, board riders and swimmers. A memorial to the rescue now overlooks Town Beach. The Augusta boat harbour on the coast towards Cape Leeuwin has replaced a range of points where boats have operated from between the mouth of the Blackwood River around to the area of the former Flinders Bay jetties. Many tourist websites and information conflate Augusta and Cape Leeuwin with features that exist nearby. The Augusta townsite now also includes
465-527: The cape was an island, and named it "Isle St Allouarn" ("St Allouarn Island"), in honour of Captain de St Aloüarn. Ten years later, Matthew Flinders began his survey of the South coast of New Holland from Cape Leeuwin in 1801 when he named it. Flinders landed in the bay to the east of Cape Leeuwin, today's Flinders Bay . Flinders was aware that the area had been known to the Dutch as "Leeuwin's Land". At two in
496-528: The cape's correct pronunciation; to rhyme with "flew in". Augusta, Western Australia Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia , where the Blackwood River flows into Flinders Bay . It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin , on the furthest southwest corner of the Australian continent . In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,091; by 2016 the population of
527-526: The coast between present-day Hamelin Bay and Point D'Entrecasteaux. Cape Leeuwin itself cannot be recognised. Other European vessels passed by for the next two centuries, including the Dutch ' t Gulden Zeepaert , commanded by François Thijssen , in 1627 and the French Gros Ventre , under Louis Aleno de St Aloüarn , in 1772. The first known European sighting of the cape was by Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in 1791. d'Entrecasteaux thought
558-604: The east is Karridale on the Margaret River to Augusta road. It was also a small settlement and port in Western Australia on the coast of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge . The jetty was established to service the timber milling operations of M. C. Davies , at the same time as utilising a jetty at Flinders Bay just south of Augusta . One of the Davies timber railways extended onto
589-590: The east of the cape. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta . South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast of Western Australia extends much further south. Cape Leeuwin is not the southernmost point of Western Australia, with that distinction belonging to West Cape Howe , which is to the southeast, near Albany . In Australia, the cape is considered where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean , but most other nations and bodies consider that
620-563: The first known ship to have visited the area, the Leeuwin ("Lioness"), a Dutch vessel that charted some of the nearby coastlines in 1622. The log of the Leeuwin has been lost, so very little is known of the voyage. However, the land found by the Leeuwin was recorded on a 1627 map by Hessel Gerritsz : Caert van't Landt van d'Eendracht ("Chart of the Land of Eendracht"), which appears to show
651-569: The former separate Flinders Bay community at its southern end, where there had been a jetty, railway terminus, and whaling location. The new Augusta Boat Harbour to the south of Flinders Bay is well outside the townsite. In 2009, 2 Oceans FM was set up at the Augusta Community Centre and began broadcasting on 97.1 MHz FM. In 1961, over 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of farms, bushland and forests between Margaret River and Augusta were destroyed by bushfires . Augusta
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#1732791046807682-431: The morning we had 80 fathoms and veered towards the land. It was seen from the masthead at five; and the highest part, the same which had been set in the evening, bore N. 12° W. This is the largest of the before-mentioned Isles of St Alouarn; but at half past seven we saw hills extending from behind, and, to all appearance, joining it to the mainland. This supposed isle is, therefore, what I denominate "Cape Leeuwin", as being
713-404: The nature of the camping area and the local weather conditions there are frequently total fire bans in the camping area. Hamelin Bay was difficult to navigate due to reefs and rocks in the vicinity. Hamelin Bay was notorious for wrecks occurring during bad weather – its exposure to prevailing weather making it a dangerous location for anchoring or mooring. Some fishing boats continue to utilize
744-589: The railway formations were incorporated into the connecting Flinders Bay branch railway . Cape Leeuwin Cape Leeuwin / ˈ l uː w ɪ n / is the most south-westerly (but not most southerly) mainland point of the Australian continent , in the state of Western Australia . A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands , extend further in Flinders Bay to
775-770: The region for its cooler weather. As a consequence of this and rising land values in the Augusta-Margaret River area, the region has experienced significant social change. Noongar peoples, the Aboriginal Australian peoples of south-western Australia, inhabited the area for an estimated 45,000 years before the arrival of European settlers, with one site near Margaret River showing signs of human habitation around 47,000 years ago. Augusta lies within Wardandi land. Wardandi (often spelt Wadandi) traditional owners guided archaeological researchers to
806-688: The south-western and most projecting part of Leeuwin's Land.[3] The St Alouarn Islands is a group of islands off the tip of Cape Leeuwin. The lighthouse and adjacent buildings, and Cape Leeuwin water wheel are all within the historic precinct as reviewed by government management. The climate of Cape Leeuwin is warm-summer Mediterranean ( Csb in the Köppen climate classification ), with an average annual rainfall of around 954 millimetres (37.6 in). Most rain falls between May and August, when around two days in three record measurable rainfall and around one in ten over 10 millimetres (0.39 in). During
837-514: The summer, the weather is warm, though there are usually sea breezes , and frequently sunny. The dry summers, coupled with strong winds, creates an environment where there is always a high risk of bush fires . The hillside to the west of the lighthouse, and the land nearby is now part of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park . It has extensive heath vegetation and thick scrub which supports a very high number of plant species and also bird species that utilise this habitat. The bay just east of Cape Leeuwin
868-513: The town was 1,109 (excluding East Augusta). The town is within the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River local government area , and is in the Leeuwin Ward. It is connected by public transport to Perth via Transwa coach service SW1. The town has its own airport. Augusta was a summer holiday town for many during most of the twentieth century, but late in the 1990s many people chose to retire to
899-417: The wreck to recover the lead that was being carried by the ship. Some shipwrecks are identified as being within the vicinity of Augusta, Cape Leeuwin or Hamelin Bay that might not be within visual distance of the lighthouse. Cape Leeuwin is mentioned in the poem associated with the children's story The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo by Rudyard Kipling . The poem is also the best way for outsiders to learn
930-478: Was disembarked, and the town of Augusta declared at the site. Stirling named the town in honour of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex , the sixth son of George III , due to its location within Sussex County , one of the 26 counties of Western Australia that were designated in 1829 as cadastral divisions . During the 1880s, an expansion of the timber industry occurred following the construction of
961-412: Was saved from these because a serious fire a few months earlier had created a low fuel zone north of the town. The Augusta residents cared for the school children who had been evacuated from Karridale and Kudardup. A bushfire threatened the town in 2011 and over 200 residents were evacuated. The fire had already claimed 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) before reaching the outskirts of East Augusta, but