Cape Spencer (South Australia)

Last updated

Cape Spencer
South Australia
Cape Spencer Lighthouse, North view 20230208 2.jpg
Path to Cape Spencer lighthouse, Innes National Park
Australia South Australia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Cape Spencer
Coordinates 35°18′0″S136°53′0″E / 35.30000°S 136.88333°E / -35.30000; 136.88333 Coordinates: 35°18′0″S136°53′0″E / 35.30000°S 136.88333°E / -35.30000; 136.88333
Elevation79 m (259 ft) [1]
LGA(s) Yorke Peninsula Council
Mean max tempMean min tempAnnual rainfall
20.3 °C
69 °F
12.9 °C
55 °F
435.2 mm
17.1 in
FootnotesClimate [2]
Innes National Park, looking west towards Cape Spencer Innes National Park.jpg
Innes National Park, looking west towards Cape Spencer

Cape Spencer is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located on the south west tip of Yorke Peninsula in the gazetted locality of Inneston. It was named after George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer by Matthew Flinders during March 1802. It has been the site of an operating navigation aid since 1950 and has been located within the Innes National Park since 1970.

Contents

Description

Cape Spencer is located about 125 kilometres (78 miles) south west of the municipal seat of Maitland in the gazetted locality of Inneston. [3] It is the most south westerly point of the Yorke Peninsula coast and defined by Flinders as being the eastern side of the mouth of Spencer Gulf. [4] It is the termination for a pair of coastlines - the western coastline extending from Corny Point in the nouth and the southern coastline extending from Troubridge Point in the east. [5] It is described as appearing ‘as a cone with a ledge of rocks at its base’ when viewed from the south. [1] Cape Spencer is accessible via a walking trail from within the Innes National Park. Access extends to the area around the Cape Spencer Lighthouse where views of both the adjoining coastline and nearby islands are available and the presence of interpretative signage provides information about the locality’s maritime history. [6]

Formation, geology & oceanography

Cape Spencer was formed when the sea reached its present level 7,500 years ago after sea levels started to rise at the start of the Holocene. [7] The cliff line which includes Cape Spencer consists of base strata of both Gleesons Landing Granite and Tourneforte Metadolerite with an overlay of a Bridgewater Formation calcarenite rock. [8] The water adjoining the wave-cut platform at the base of Cape Spencer drops to a maximum depth of 14.8 metres (49 feet). [9]

History

European discovery

Cape Spencer was named on 20 March 1802 by Matthew Flinders after George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer who was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in office at the time of the planning of the expedition to New Holland, or Terra Australis as Flinders called the continent in his book, A Voyage to Terra Australis. [4] The cape was subsequently also named by the Baudin expedition to Australia as Pointe Mornay or Pointe des Malfaisants (English: 'Point of Evil'). [3]

The current concrete lighthouse was built in 1975 to replace a small automatic beacon erected in 1950. [10] The cape is also the site of a high frequency radar station which is used to collect data about wind direction and wave height. [11]

Protected area status

Cape Spencer has been located within the protected area known as the Innes National Park since the park's declaration in 1970. [12] As of 2012, the waters surrounding its shores are within the boundaries of a habitat protection zone within the Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park</span> Protected area in the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park, formerly Innes National Park, is an IUCN-designated protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the southwest tip of Yorke Peninsula about 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of the state capital of Adelaide. It is a popular destination for camping, bushwalking, fishing, surfing and scuba diving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Gulf</span> Large inlet in South Australia

The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and Eyre Peninsula in the west to Cape Spencer and Yorke Peninsula in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf St Vincent</span> South Australian southern coast water inlet bordered by the Yorke and Fleurieu Peninsulas

Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Spencer Gulf, from which it is separated by Yorke Peninsula. On its eastern side the gulf is bordered by the Adelaide Plains and the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Sibsey Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf within the Sir Joseph Banks Group. It was discovered on 21 February 1802 by Matthew Flinders. Currently, the island is uninhabited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Investigator Strait</span> Body of water in South Australia

Investigator Strait is a body of water in South Australia lying between the Yorke Peninsula, on the Australian mainland, and Kangaroo Island. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his ship, HMS Investigator, on his voyage of 1801–1802. It is bordered by the Gulf St Vincent in the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Investigator Group</span> Archipelago of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

The Investigator Group is an archipelago in South Australia that consists of Flinders Island and five island groups located off the western coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It is named after HMS Investigator by her commander, Matthew Flinders when he explored the area in 1802. The Group lies within the Great Australian Bight. All the islands except Flinders Island, and a part of Pearson Island, are within the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area and the Waldegrave Islands Conservation Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backstairs Passage</span> Body of water

The Backstairs Passage is a strait in South Australia lying between Fleurieu Peninsula on the Australian mainland and Dudley Peninsula on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island. The western edge of the passage is a line from Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula to Kangaroo Head on Kangaroo Island. The Pages, a group of islets, lie in the eastern entrance to the strait. About 14 km wide at its narrowest, it was formed by the rising sea around 13,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era, when it submerged the land connecting what is now Kangaroo Island with the Fleurieu Peninsula. Backstairs Passage was named by Matthew Flinders whilst he and his crew on HMS Investigator were exploring and mapping the coastline of South Australia in 1802.

Cape Catastrophe is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located at the southeast tip of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula. It is one of the natural features named by the British navigator Matthew Flinders in memory of the eight crew who were lost from a cutter that capsized sometime after being launched from HM Sloop Investigator to search for water on 21 February 1802. Flinders also nominated the headland as being the western point of the mouth of Spencer Gulf. It is currently located within the gazetted locality of Lincoln National Park and the protected area known as the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

Little Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf off the east coast of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) south-east of Port Lincoln. It was named by Matthew Flinders in memory of John Little who was one of the eight crew lost from a cutter that capsized sometime after being launched from HM Sloop Investigator to search for water on 21 February 1802. Since 2004, the island has been part of the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

Smith Island is an island located in Spencer Gulf off the east coast of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia approximately 32 km (20 mi) south-east of Port Lincoln. It was named by Matthew Flinders in memory of William Smith who was one of the eight crew lost from a cutter that capsized sometime after being launched from HM Sloop Investigator to search for water on 21 February 1802. Since 2004, the island has been part of the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anxious Bay</span> Body of water

Anxious Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula about 275 kilometres west north-west of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 21 February 1802. It is one of four ‘historic bays’ located on the South Australian coast.

Troubridge Hill is a hill on the south coast of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia located in the locality of Honiton about 13.5 kilometres south west of Edithburgh and about 3.8 kilometres west of Troubridge Point. It was discovered, reported as being a ’hummock upon this low part ’ and named by Matthew Flinders on 24 March 1802 after Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet. Since 1980, it has been the site of an operating lighthouse known as the Troubridge Hill Lighthouse. Its adjoining coastline borders a protected area of the same name - the Troubridge Hill Aquatic Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pondalowie Bay</span> Body of water

Pondalowie Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of the south-west tip of Yorke Peninsula in Spencer Gulf about 12 kilometres west of Marion Bay. The coastline of Pondalowie Bay is both within the gazetted locality of Inneston and the Innes National Park.

Cape Donington is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located at the most northerly part of the Jussieu Peninsula on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in about 10 kilometres east of the city of Port Lincoln.

West Cape is a headland located on the west coast of the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia in the gazetted locality of Inneston about 14 kilometres west of the town of Marion Bay. It is the most westerly point of Yorke Peninsula. Since 1970, the headland has been located within the Innes National Park while the waters adjoining its shoreline have been located within the Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park since 2012. Since 1980, it has been the site of a navigation aid in the form of a lighthouse.

Point Whidbey is a headland located at the southern western extremity of both Coffin Bay Peninsula and Avoid Bay on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 34 kilometres west of the town of Coffin Bay. It was described in 2012 as being “fronted by low cliffs and rises to a round hill, 62 metres high, about 1 mile inland.” It is one of the features named by Matthew Flinders in February 1802 after his friend and Royal Navy officer, Joseph Whidbey. The point is currently located within the boundaries of the protected area, the Coffin Bay National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Avoid</span> Place in South Australia

Point Avoid is a headland located at the south eastern extremity of both Coffin Bay Peninsula and Avoid Bay on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 15 kilometres south west of the town of Coffin Bay. It was described in 2017 as being “fronted on all of its seaward sides by limestone cliffs, about 46 metres high, which change abruptly to sand hills E of its S(outhern) extremity.” It was named by Matthew Flinders on 17 February 1802 to acknowledge the navigational hazards present around its shores. The point is currently located within the boundaries of the protected area, the Coffin Bay National Park.

Cape Radstock is a headland located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 45 kilometres south south-east of the town of Streaky Bay and about 9.3 kilometres (5 nmi) south east of Point Labatt. The cape is both the north western extremity of Anxious Bay and the southern extremity of the Calca Peninsula. The cape is described as being “steep and bold” and where the cliffs reach a height of 135 metres, being the high point of a line of cliffs starting at Point Labatt in the west and from within Anxious Bay in the east. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 9 February 1802 after William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock. Since 2012, the waters adjoining its shoreline are within a habitat protection zone in the West Coast Bays Marine Park.

Slade Point is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in the locality of Sceale Bay about 29 kilometres (18 mi) south of the town of Streaky Bay. The point is the northern extremity of Searcy Bay and the southern extremity of a promontory that separates Searcy Bay in the south east from Sceale Bay in the north west. While it is within the coastline first charted by Matthew Flinders on 9 February 1802, it is not named by Flinders possibly due to the coastline being obscured by a thick haze. Slade Point was named in 1908 after “the late Mr. W. E. Slade” who served as the Assistant Engineer of Harbours in the South Australian Government. The cape has adjoined the boundary of the Cape Blanche Conservation Park since 2012 while the waters adjoining its shoreline have been within a habitat protection zone in the West Coast Bays Marine Park also since 2012.

Cape Blanche is a headland located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 25 kilometres south south-west of the town of Streaky Bay and about 4 kilometres west of the town of Sceale Bay.

References

  1. 1 2 Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 175: North, West, and South Coasts of Australia (PDF). Sailing Directions . United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 196.
  2. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics STENHOUSE BAY". Commonwealth of Australia , Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Search result for "Cape Spencer" (Record no SA0063077) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 Flinders, Matthew (1966) [1814]. A Voyage to Terra Australis : undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803 in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland Schooner; with an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island (Facsimile ed.). Adelaide: Libraries Board of South Australia. p. 249. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  5. Hydrographic Department, Ministry of Defence (1983). Gulf of St Vincent and approaches (chart no. 1762). (reproduced by the Royal Australian Navy Hydrographic Service).
  6. Cape Spencer Lighthouse Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine - SouthAustralia.com. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  7. Robinson, A. C.; Armstrong, D. M. (eds.). A Biological Survey of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 1989 & 1990 (PDF). Adelaide, SA: Heritage and Biodiversity Section, Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, South Australia. p. 26. ISBN   0 7308 5862 6 . Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  8. Fairclough, Martin C (December 2007). "KINGSCOTE Special 1:250 000 geological map". MESA Journal. Government of South Australia, DMITRE. 47: 28–31. ISSN   1326-3544 . Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  9. South Australia. Department of Marine and Harbors (1985), The Waters of South Australia a series of charts, sailing notes and coastal photographs, Dept. of Marine and Harbors, South Australia, pp. Charts 23, ISBN   978-0-7243-7603-2
  10. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: South Australia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  11. "IMOS - ACORN - Cape Spencer HF ocean radar station (South Australia Gulfs, South Australia, Australia)". Research Data Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  12. "Innes National Park Management Plan" (PDF). Department for Environment and Heritage. 2003. pp. 5 & 28. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  13. "Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park Management Plan" (PDF). Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. p. 26 of 27. Retrieved 24 June 2014.