Cape Leeuwin and Augusta

The Official Meeting Point Of The Indian And Southern Oceans At Australia'S Most South Westerly Tip, Marked By The Tallest Lighthouse On The Australian Mainland, Still Operating Since 1896, With Whale Migrations Passing Close Offshore For Much Of The Year · Augusta, Western Australia

Cape Leeuwin marks the official meeting point of the Indian and Southern Oceans at mainland Australia's most south-westerly point, a short drive from the small timber and fishing town of Augusta at the southern tip of the Margaret River wine region. The lighthouse here, first lit in 1896 and still operating today, is the tallest lighthouse on the Australian mainland, a white tower standing alone above a wind-scoured limestone point where the two oceans visibly meet in a line of churned, choppy water. A guided tour climbs the tower's spiral stairs to a long coastal view in both directions, while the grounds below hold an old waterwheel, calcified solid by decades of mineral-laden water running over it, and small displays on shipwrecks and the lighthouse keepers who once lived in isolation here. For much of the year this is also a genuine whale-watching point: humpback and southern right whales pass close enough offshore during migration to be seen from the headland itself without a boat, worth timing a visit around rather than treating as a quick photo stop on the drive through.

Australia's most south-westerly tip, at the end of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge south of Margaret River, Augusta, Western Australia, Australia

The lighthouse grounds and cafe are open daily during standard daylight hours, typically from around 8:30am to 5pm, with the last guided tower climb departing roughly 45 minutes before closing - exact times shift seasonally and around daylight saving, so confirm the current board at the gate. The tower itself is accessible only on a timed guided tour, not a walk-up climb, and tours are suspended in strong wind for safety. Whale-watching season runs roughly from late May through to early October, with the best viewing windows around June and again in September, though sightings outside that window are a matter of luck rather than schedule. The site is closed on Christmas Day.

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