Cape Paterson () is a cape and seaside village located near the town of

Wonthaggi Wonthaggi is a seaside town located south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally for its coal mining, it is now the largest town in South Gipps ...

, south-east of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metr ...

via the

South Gippsland South Gippsland, a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, is a well-watered region consisting of low, rolling hills descending to the coast in the south and the Latrobe Valley in the north. Low granite hills continue into Wilsons Promont ...

and Bass Highways, in the

Bass Coast Shire The Bass Coast Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the southeastern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 35,327. It includes the towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Cape Woolam ...

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cover ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...

, Australia. Known originally for the discovery of coal by William Hovell in 1826, it is now extremely popular for its beaches and rockpool and at the 2011 census, it had a population of 718. Cape Paterson has six beaches. Cape Paterson was named by Lieut. James Grant in 1801 to honour explorer Lieut. Col. William Paterson, second in command of the Botany Bay (Sydney) battalion.

Today

Cape Paterson is a small town near the larger town of

. It is a popular tourist destination and has a large influx of campers during the summer months. Fishing is very popular there. Cape Paterson has 2 local lifesaving clubs. The Wonthaggi Royal Life Saving Club and is located at the Bay Beach, and the Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club is located at First Surf Beach.

Rockpool

The Bay Beach near Cape Paterson caravan park on Surf Beach Road is popular as it has a modified rockpool for swimming. The rockpool was built by miners in the 1960s, at a time when the environment was less of a priority in Australia Miners building rockpool, 1960's, Cape Paterson

Coast

Cape Paterson has six beaches, namely "F" Break, 2nd Surf, 1st Surf, Safety Beach-Browns Bay, Undertow Bay and The Oaks.

Fishing

Cape Paterson is popular for surf and rock fishing. Undertow Bay is popular for catching Mullet and Salmon. Brown's Bay is good for Whiting and juvenile Snapper (Pinky). In the whole of the Bunurong Marine Park it is prohibited to take or kill reef fish such as Parrot Fish, Bluenose Wrasse and Leather Jackets. In the Bunurong Marine National Park all fishing is prohibited. Cape Paterson Beach Shimmer

Museum

Australia’s first dinosaur bone, the Cape Paterson Claw, was discovered here in 1903 by William Ferguson nearby in what is now Eagles Nest, Bunurong Marine National Park, Inverloch. Today, the Dinosaur Dreaming fossil excavation at the Flat Rocks coastal site by

Anderson Inlet Anderson Inlet (Boonwurrung: ''Toluncan''), sometimes incorrectly referred to as Andersons Inlet, is a shallow and dynamic estuary in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia where the Tarwin River enters Bass Strait. It forms a almost enclosed b ...

attracts both Australian and international visitors. More than 6000 bones and teeth of small dinosaurs, mammals, birds, turtles and fish have been excavated. There is a Dinosaur exhibibition at the Inverloch Shell Museum

Bunurong Marine Parks

Bunurong Marine Park is a 17 km marine and coastal park along the

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

of Harmers Haven, Cape Paterson and Inverloch namely Coal Point to Wreck Creek. Bunurong Marine National Park is an outstretching middle section of Bunurong Marine Park. The National Park part is about 21 km² or about 5 km in length along the coast and stretching from 2.5 km east of Cape Paterson eastwards to a point 6 km south-west of Inverloch, extending seawards for 3 nm to the limit of Victorian waters. The restricted zone/

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

(Bunurong Marine National Park inside Bunurong Marine Park), on foot begins after Undertow Bay heading towards Inverloch from Cape Paterson. It is an area past Safety Beach and rockpool and past Undertow Bay beach namely The Oaks, Twin Reefs, Shack Bay and Eagles Nest. It ends at Wreck Creek and Inverloch. It is prohibited to kill or take any matter (i.e., catch fish,

collect The collect ( ) is a short general prayer of a particular structure used in Christian liturgy. Collects appear in the liturgies of Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches, among othe ...

seashells or kill or take any sea or land creature, living or dead) from the smaller of the two parks; Bunurong Marine National Park. Both parks are named after the

Bunurong The Boonwurrung people are an Aboriginal people of the Kulin nation, who are the traditional owners of the land from the Werribee River to Wilsons Promontory in the Australian state of Victoria. Their territory includes part of what is now the ...

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. Bunurong Marine Park is considered special due to the unusual set of environmental conditions. It supports many marine animals including seastars, featherstars, crabs, snails, 87 species of fish, Whales and Seals. It has the highest recorded diversity of intertidal and subtidal

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

in eastern Victoria. The range of

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such a ...

species is large. Flat Rocks is a beach which has large rockpools for rockpooling/rambling and direct access from Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road. Bunurong Marine Park is seen and accessed at many different points along this coast, a popular one being near Cape Paterson caravan park on Surf Beach Road as it has a modified rockpool for swimming. The National Park is around to the left. Direct and more difficult access to the National Park is via car parks off Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road. Exploring,

snorkelling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, ...

and

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

are popular. There are boat launching facilities at Inverloch on

. Eagles Nest is a large rock structure adjacent to the coastline that resembles the top half of a map of Australia. Cape Paterson Reef

Climate

Cape Paterson's location on the north shore of Bass Strait gives it an oceanic climate, with the moderating effect of the ocean allowing a narrower temperature range throughout the year compared to other regions in Victoria. Average daily maximum temperatures range from 23.5 °C in summer to 13.5 in winter. Frost is rare, occurring on average 6 mornings a year.

History

The Bunurong Aboriginal people used this stretch of coast for thousands of years prior to

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

occupation. The Boakoolawal

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meani ...

lived in the Kilcunda area south of the Bass River, and the Yowenjerre were west of the Tarwin River along what is now the Bunurong Marine and Coastal Park.

Middens A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and e ...

containing

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

and

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater enviro ...

mark the location of their

campsites A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using te ...

along the coast. Explorer William Hovell first discovered black coal in the cliffs at Cape Paterson in 1826.This and other sites were rediscovered 10 years later by Samuel Anderson who settled at Bass in 1835. In 1858, 2,000 tons of coal were hauled to the coast at Cape Paterson and taken by whaleboat to ships for transportation to Melbourne. Tram rails on the beach are reminders of further attempts to remove coal from the area later in the century, which still remain on the beach to the west of No 2 surf beach. Cape Paterson had a Post Office from 1969 to (probably) 1975 which was open only during summer.

Tourist Information

An in depth tourist information guide is available on th
Visit Cape Paterson Website

Education

There is one primary school in nearby Inverloch and three

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

s and one

secondary college Secondary college is the common name for government secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. The term arose through the reorganisation of the state government's high schools and technical schools from the late 1980s to mid-1990s, where most gove ...

in nearby Wonthaggi. Also in Wonthaggi Chisholm

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

, Bass Coast Specialist School, Bass Coast Adult Education Centre, University of the Third Age ( U3A) retirees education centre, and Connecting Skills Australia (CSA) specialist developmental school, support and employment services/training. Plans are underway for a new tertiary education facility.

Facilities

* Safety Beach and rockpool, Browns Bay, Surf Beach Road *

Playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people w ...

- picnic areas, table, barbecue, near the caravan park, Surf Beach Road *

Coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

; "F" Break, 2nd Surf, 1st Surf, Safety Beach Browns Bay, Undertow Bay, The Oaks, Twin Reefs, Shack Bay, Eagles Nest, The Caves and Flat Rocks * Old foreshore public hall * Wonthaggi Market - every 2nd Sunday in the centre of Wonthaggi * Historic mine

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...

sounds 12 noon every day in the centre of Wonthaggi -

mine shaft Shaft mining or shaft sinking is the action of excavating a mine shaft from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. Shallow shafts, typically sunk for civil engineering projects, differ greatly in execution method from ...

tower, Apex Park, Murray Street, Wonthaggi * Seashell/driftwood

Collecting The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvio ...

is NOT permitted on Cape Paterson coast from; ‘The Oaks’ to ‘Eagles Nest’ as this is the Bunurong Marine National Park. Access near Cape Paterson caravan park on Surf Beach Road. Left down the coast is Browns Bay, Undertow Bay, The Oaks, Twin Reefs, Shack Bay, Eagles Nest, Wreck Creek, The Caves, Flat Rocks * Bunurong Marine Park - explore/snorkel, Surf Beach Road * Bunurong Marine National Park - protected state park, explore/snorkel, Inverloch-Cape Paterson Road * Wonthaggi

Golf Course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". T ...

- 18 hole, par 72, ACR 70, easy walk, McKenzie Street, Wonthaggi * Wonthaggi railway station museum - open Saturday mornings, Murray Street, Wonthaggi * State Coal Mine - museum and tours, Garden Street, Wonthaggi * Coal mine

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

- Number 5 Brace & the McBride tunnel entry, off West Area Road Wonthaggi and scattered around this and neighbouring towns * Wonthaggi has many large

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

s; RACV Inverloch Resort (accommodation choices & restaurant/Sunday buffet), four major

supermarkets A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more li ...

; Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA. Four

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

agencies; Stockdale & Leggo,

LJ Hooker LJ Hooker is one of Australia's largest real estate groups, with 600 franchise offices and 6,000 people engaged in residential and commercial property sales and property management. The company was founded in 1928 by Sir Leslie Joseph ...

, Alex Scott and PBE. Clothing and homewares; Target, Big W, Best & Less, Harvey Norman. Bunnings Warehouse ( hardware) and Mitre 10 (hardware).

Take-out A take-out or takeout (U.S., Canada, and the Philippines); carry-out or to-go (Scotland and some dialects in the U.S. and Canada); takeaway (England, Wales, Australia, Lebanon, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally in Nort ...

; McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Subway, Domino's (pizza), cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels and markets. * Wonthaggi

Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

Smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor workpl ...

, Graham Street, Wonthaggi

References

External links

Cape Paterson
an
Cape Paterson
at the

Gazetteer of Australia The Gazetteer of Australia is an index or dictionary of the location and spelling of geographical names across Australia. Geographic names include towns, suburbs and roads, plus geographical features such as hills, rivers, and lakes. The index is ...

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{{authority control Coastal towns in Victoria (Australia) Paterson Towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in South Gippsland Bass Coast Shire