Calcified waterwheel, Cape Leeuwin

Meeting of the oceans at Cape Leeuwin

Cape Leeuwin lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's cottages

Whale watching at Cape Leeuwin

Blackwood River, Alexandra Bridge

Hamelin Bay

Boranup Forest

Walking the Cape To Cape Track

The third oldest settlement in Western Australia, Augusta is a small tourist town at the southern extremity of western Australia's south west region.

Where is it?: Western Australia: South West. Augusta is 330 km south of Perth on the Hardy Inlet at the mouth of the Blackwood River.

Things to see and do:

The first Europeans to make contact with the Augusta area were the Dutch who, sighting the southwestern tip of Australia in March 1622 named it 't Landt van de Leeuwin' meaning the land of the lioness. Cape Leeuwin (8 km) is the extreme south west corner both of the state of Western Australia and the continent of Australia. It is here that the Southern Ocean and Indian Oceans meet. The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse (1896) guards this rocky promontory. The lightouse can be inspected, either by guided or self guided tours, there is also a small museum and cafe. Nearby is a calcified waterwheel, once used to generate power to run the light.

The Blackwood River enters the Southern Ocean at Augusta. The mouth of the river has attracted interest in its various points of opening and closing over the last 100 years, Duke Head at the west side being a benchmark location for the shifting mouth. Hardy Inlet has a number of islands - namely Molloy Island and Thomas Island. The river and inlet are popular for swimming, fishing and river cruising.

From June through to September, Augusta is alive with whale song. Protected from the north-westerly wind by Cape Leeuwin, the gentle conditions of Flinders Bay make it perfect for whale watching.

Lookouts: The Cape Leeuwin lighthouse offers panoramic views up and down the coast.

Surrounding area:

A short drive from along Caves Road are the Jewel, Mammoth, Lake, Dingo's, and Moondyne limestone caves. There are over 200 caves in the area but these are the only ones open to the public. They contain a number of interesting crystalline formations including the Waterfall, the Organ Pipe and the worlds largest straw stalactite in a tourist cave. More >>

Boranup lies within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park between Caves Road and the coast, and creates a powerful contrast with the rest of the coastline. Tall pale-barked karri trees, reaching 60 metres or more high, dominate the hilly slopes and valleys. Gravel roads suitable for two-wheel-drive vehicles wind through the forest to picnic and camping spots. It's just a short walk to Boranup Lookout which gives sweeping views over the forest and the coast west along Boranup Beach to the strikingly beautiful Hamelin Bay. More >>

Hamelin Bay, once the port for the sawmills at Karridale, is a sleepy little settlement which is now no more than a camping area, a beautiful beach, some islands near the shore, and a couple of remnant jetties which are literally no more than a few pylons and weathered timbers. At its height Hamelin Bay was a major timber port. Hamelin Bay boasts the most unusual Heritage Trail in the state. The Hamelin Bay Wreck Trail requires a boat and diving qualifications as it is an underwater trail that visits the numerous wrecks which lie in Hamelin Bay.

The Augusta-Busselton Heritage Trail covers the 100 km from Augusta to Busselton and traces the early history of the area through the movements of the Bussel and Molloy families who settled in Augusta only to move further up the coast looking for suitable agricultural land.

The Cape to Cape Walk Track is 135 km long, located within the The Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, between Cape leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste in the north. It is one of Western Australia's great walks.

Regional Drives: South West Corner, WA; South Coast, WA

About Augusta

Augusta is named after Princess Augusta Sophia, the 2nd daughter of King George III, probably by Gov. James Stirling. The leader of the first white settlement, Captain John Molloy, claimed royal descent. Molloy named his surroundings at Augusta after the various names and titles of Frederick, Duke of York, second son of George III. As the Duke's full name was Prince Frederick Augustus, Augusta may in actual fact have been named after him and not his sister. Cape Leeuwin is named after the Dutch ship Leeuwin that first sighted the coast in this area in March 1622. The cape was given its name in 1801 by Capt. Matthew Flinders who paid homage to the earlier Dutch explorers.
Augusta is listed as one of the locations on the NASA website where it is possible to observe the International Space Station as it crosses the night sky.

Brief history: Concerns about the likelihood of a French settlement on the Western Australian coast combined with a determination to close the penal colony at Port Macquarie saw the establishment of Albany in 1826. Two years later Captain James Stirling and Captain Fremantle had established settlements along the Swan River. The 30-man military outpost of Augusta, the third on the WA coast, was founded in May 1830. The area was settled in 1830-1 by Captain John Molloy (a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo) who brought a party of settlers to the Hardy Inlet from Perth. The initial settlement failed and Augusta was deserted by 1850 and was not re-settled until the 1870s. The existing town was birthed after World War II.
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 the region for the cooler weather. As a consequence of this and rising land values in the Augusta Margaret River area, the region has experienced significant social change.